Mushoku Tensei (WN)

Chapter 7

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[] Warning Images from the Light Novels image gallery will no longer usualy coincide with the provided story which is from the Web Novel. The story from the Light Novel and Web Novel will start to diverge from eachother from this point on in some aspects.

"Hmm, This one or that...Which should I get? Rudeus which do you think is better?"

[Mana Calamity.]
The term commonly used to describe the event known as the [Fedoa Territory Metastasis Incident] which happened 5 years ago.

Since that time, it was reported that the territory"s feudal lord, Sauros Boreas Greyrat, was executed.

From the city of Roa, the mayor, Philip Boreas Greyrat, and his wife, Hilda Greyrat, also reportedly died.

And in the latest reports, the daughter of Philip, Eris Boreas Greyrat, was also listed as deceased.

With this conclusion, the High Minister, Darius Silva Ganius, terminated financial support to the Fedoa refugee camp"s search and rescue efforts, and instead, he redirected the focus of that organization to land reclamation and rebuilding.

Only private parties continued independent rescue efforts.

In this way, the Asura Kingdom"s involvement with the Mana Calamity ended.

But for those who still had concerns involving the Mana Calamity, nothing had ended.

Year of Armored Dragon 422.

The location is Basherant Dukedom in the Northwestern part of the Central Continent.

Basherant Dukedom is one of the Three Great Magic Nations, and as such, is one of the most powerful nations in the northern lands.

In this nation, we arrive at the third city [Pipia].

He has attached himself to the city as an adventurer for a while now... and has become known to the public simply as [Quagmire]. [1]

This man was once flung to a far-off place by the Mana Calamity and is only one of many such people who tasted despair after a lengthy return of several years to the Fedoa Region.

He moved towards the so-called "Northern Lands" of the Central Continent in an effort to find his still-missing family under the guise of just being an adventurer.

It is early in the morning for Quagmire.

Before the day begins, he himself is a deeply devoted disciple of his religion.

He offers a prayer to his G.o.d - A quiet prayer for the "s.h.i.+nto and Buddhist" deities that he has stored in a small wooden box - something that would not be accepted by the Milis Religion.

No, perhaps if someone from the Milis Religion saw it, they would frown upon the nature of it, but they could never dispute the earnestness of the prayers of the faithful Quagmire.

After morning prayers, Quagmire begins his training regimen. Changing into some comfortable and easy to move clothes, he does laps around the town.

The Quagmire often says that maintaining physical strength is one of the basics of being an adventurer.

[Though I am a magician, I am an adventurer first! What good is it if I can"t move well when it counts?]

He does the training unique to his hometown, starting with one hour of running.

He then performs an exercise not seen anywhere in the Basherant Dukedom; it consists of the body lying prostrated on the ground being elevated and lowered, repeatedly by using only the arms.

He repeats this activity 100 times.

Afterwards, he changes positions onto his back and proceeds to raise and lower his upper torso 100 times as well.

It is said that he never misses these daily activities.

[Muscles are enviable! They work everyday without fail without needing to be reconciled in some way. Like a lady friend... But, unlike the lady who disappears suddenly, muscles will never become a traitor.]

Said the Quagmire whose laughing voice had a bit of loneliness to it.

After he finishes the morning exercises, he goes to the town.

Where he goes is a dining room on the first floor of an inn to have his breakfast.

The average amount of food an adventurer eats compared to a person of the general populace is about 2-3 times more.

The cost of food in the Northern Lands is high, and occasionally, one has to skip a meal here and there to save coin.

However, the Quagmire is different from even the normal adventurer.

He eats.

He eats about 1.2 times the amount of food even a normal adventurer does!

Vigorously eating dishes that are piled high with rice and beans.

The morning meal is perhaps the greatest source of his strength.

After eating, he heads towards the Adventurer"s Guild.

The place where the town"s many ruffians gather.

When Quagmire enters, he is at the center of everyone"s attention.

The reason being is that Quagmire has no official party affiliation.

Oh, but he will temporarily join one if the situation requires it, or if it is a dangerous mission to solo.

The demand for the magician known as Quagmire is great.

And today, like usual, the leader of an S-rank adventuring party called out to him.

[Oi!, Quagmire!, have you heard the news? A stray Red Dragon has been spotted here in the Northern Lands!]

The S-rank Adventurer [Soldat Heckler].

The man had many physical features particular to a human found living in the Northern Lands.

He had attained the swordsmans.h.i.+p ranks of:

Sword G.o.d Style: Advanced

Water G.o.d Style: Intermediate

He also is one of the most famous adventurers around this area.

He is the leader of [Stepped Leader], a party affiliated with a larger clan known as [Thunderbolt], which is active throughout the whole Basherant Dukedom.

It is a combat oriented unit that deals primarily with subjugation requests.

[Stepped Leader]"s party composition consists of 6 people.

2 Swordsmen,

1 Warrior,

2 Healers, and

1 Magician.

The party had a 7th member, another Magician at one point, but he died in an unexpected accident.

So their firepower was lacking.

[C"mon Quagmire, why don"t you join our party officially already? You surely can"t be feeling uncomfortable about it by now, right?]

Much like that, Soldat has invited the Quagmire just about every day, but Quagmire just shakes his head in rejection.

[There"s no point in sticking around that long. I"m famous enough here already, and I have other countries I must still visit and spread my name.]

Quagmire had a purpose in saying that.

Family.

He was searching for his mother.

However, Quagmire knows that because it has been five years since the Mana Calamity, the discovery of any new information on her whereabouts will not be easy to uncover.

So, Quagmire spreads word of his name while he carefully searches each country he visits from end-to-end, missing nothing.

If he becomes famous enough in each area, surely a family member will be able to recognize and find him, or so he speculates.

[Ah, but still, at least join us for the stray Red Dragon Extermination!]

Quagmire received the job request.

If it is successful, he will become quite famous for slaying a dragon.

So together they went to the counter and registered the party.

[Umm... it"s not just our party partic.i.p.ating is it? Where are the other parties who are also partic.i.p.ating?]

[There"ll be more joining, Quagmire... It"s the first big job like this in a while. Everyone will be motivated to join!]

Dragon exterminations are usually done by two or more parties working together.

To do so with only one party is pretty much... suicidal.

Five parties expressed desire to join in the Dragon Extermination.

S-rank party [Stepped Leader]

A-rank party [Road Knights]

A-rank party [Iron Lump Corps]

A-rank party [Cellar World]

A-rank party [Drunken Jokers]

In total, a 25 member raid group.

A certain kill group would consist of at least 7 or more parties, so the number of people gathered right now is rather low.

[Oi! Oi! It"s a Red Dragon you know? It"s a huge bounty, so where is everyone already? Everyone here is A-rank, where are all the S-rankers at?]

[Word is that a new labyrinth was discovered out in the east, so everyone went to take a look at it.]

Soldat was impatient.

Inside the Adventurer"s Guild, one man sighed then chimed in.

[...I guess with just this few, it"s probably impossible to accomplish it after all.]

So the party [Cellar World] withdrew from the raid, and there were just 21 members left.

It seemed that a total dissolution of the mission could be expected at this point.

With the number of people left, it was a very risky proposition. Everyone thought so.

At that point, Soldat spoke with great authority.

[Alright! 21 People, that means everyone gets a bigger cut from the bounty!]

Everyone was anxious enough, but after that, no one said anything disheartening.

21 adventurers walked the chilly tundra of the Northern Lands.

A thin layer of snow powdered the trails.

The leaves fell from the trees, and the branches were whitening from the chilly air.

Soon, the long winter will come.

[Quagmire, Can you scout ahead?]

Following the order of Soldat, Quagmire used the appropriate magic.

He brought forth a pillar of earth and snow that he stood atop as it rose high up into the air, granting him a great vision for quite some distance.

Quagmire then conveys what he sees. The target is a large Red Dragon.

One that is not difficult to be missed with continual reconnaissance.

What"s this?

Quagmire also spied something else.

[Raster Grizzly at 2 o"clock. Seems like a bunch of them. They are kicking the h.e.l.l up out of the snow!]

[How many are there!?]

[8...no wait, 10 of them moving this way. I wonder if they noticed us. Approaching from dead ahead! And fast!]

These monsters were not the target though.

For the so few members of the group gathered, there isn"t really enough spare energy to go wasting on small fry monsters like this.

However, when evil comes, one must defend.

[Everyone, spread out! Quagmire, hurry down, we"re going to need you for support!]

[Understood!]

Soldat gave the order, and four parties deployed their members.

The plan was to flank the enemy and herd them towards Quagmire"s ambush.

[Quagmire!]

[I"m on it!]

On Soldat"s order, Quagmire moved.

He was called "Quagmire" for the skill he had using Earth Magic.

He had an amazing skill that instantly created mires of mud, bogging down enemies.

Landing him with the nickname of [Quagmire.]

A herd of ten Raster Grizzly were funneled towards him, and all fell victim almost instantly to the highly adhesive mud in which they found themselves quite stuck in.

"Now!"

The members of the raid group who suddenly sprang out from the surrounding areas quickly surrounded the monsters, charging in and ruthlessly dispatching each and every one.

No mercy.

Any mercy shown now could mean death the next time; such a thing was common sense to an adventurer.

And in short order, the Raster Grizzly threat was eliminated.

However, after dealing with these enemies, someone noticed IT.

[Hey! It"s the Red Dragon! It"s coming!]

[Ah, these Grizzly must have been running away from it!]

The Stray.

Red Dragon.

The strongest monster that exists on the Central Continent.

And his prey was the group of Raster Grizzly we defeated.

[Quagmire! Why"s this guy here?]

[It must have been hiding in the wake of the snow powder that was being kicked up by the Grizzly. I didn"t see it anywhere before!]

In regards to dealing with the sudden arrival of the Red Dragon, the adventurers pretty much lost their wits about them.

Originally the plan was to prepare an ambush from farther away, then launch a surprise attack on it.

And now, not only was there no preparation, but the dragon was launching a surprise attack on the raid group instead.

There was practically no chance of winning this fight.

[d.a.m.n it! Retreat, everyone Retreat!]

A Red Dragon is a creature that flies in the sky.

Its outer sh.e.l.l is resilient and is deceptively dexterous.

And truth be told, a Dragon on the ground is a dreadfully powerful thing.

In this chaotic scene.

The Quagmire goes to work.

[I"m putting up the smokescreen! Please scatter while you retreat!]

Quagmire was calm.

Using much practiced Fire Magic, he vaporizes the latent snow around him to raise a wall of steam.

A smokescreen, improvised from the use of the surrounding nature.

A skilled magician cheating the enemy of its vision.

However, the Stray Dragon was also clever and sharp-eyed.

It took aim at the Quagmire.

[....Kuh!]

Quagmire fled from it in the opposite direction of the retreating group members.

If he was targeted, it was his role to make it give chase.

Speedy Quagmire.

He was alive now because of the training he did every morning.

He knew the secret to staying alive was to be able to keep running, to keep moving away.

The vexed dragon"s mouth was burning; it opened wide, and what spewed forth was a h.e.l.lish flame.

In a mere moment, the entire surrounding area was painted with fire.

It was the Red Dragon"s finis.h.i.+ng move: [Fire Breath].

Everything in the path of the flame was incinerated.

Was the Quagmire killed by this?

No, He was still alive.

Quagmire glanced backward quickly and instantly raised a t.i.tanic wall of water.

As Quagmire moved, he tore through the densely rising steam.

Embers of flame burnt the edge of his robe.

He paid it no mind, and instead started magically producing a casing of rock.

The rock bullet shot forth at a high speed and pierced the scaly hide of the Red Dragon.

[GYAaaaa!]

Rock bullets were released one after another.

The Red Dragon managed to avoid several of them.

However, it could not avoid all of the bullets that traveled at such a high speed.

The Red Dragon immediately turned around and prepared to take flight.

The Red Dragon was also a wise creature. It immediately understood that small creature called "Quagmire" was concealing a high offensive power.

The Quagmire didn"t give chase.

Did he let the precious prey escape?

It seemed so at the time.

[GUKYAaaaAA!]

The howl of the Red Dragon echoed.

Before it could get away, a quagmire came to be in existence.

The Red Dragon found itself having sunk into a highly adhesive mire of mud. Again and again, the Quagmire calls his magical power forth. The Red Dragon madly tries to escape from the mud, but finds the mud it"s trapped in is becoming more and more adhesive and even solidifying.

[Ah, captured....]

The little Quagmire muttered something so unexpected, then proceeded to smash the squirming Red Dragon with an enormous ma.s.s of rock.

The scattered adventurers returned.

[Jeez, Quagmire, you are a ridiculously strong guy...]

[Seems that return trip from the Magic Continent paid off.]

[But still, to defeat THAT, you have to be on another level of strong!]

The companions unanimously praised Quagmire, but he remained humble about it, not giving in to arrogance.

He knew that acting arrogant now would just cause friction for everyone.

[The raid was close to certain death, right? I mean, I didn"t think for a second that I could defeat this thing just by myself you know... But that matter aside, we need to figure out how all of us are going to handle looting this Dragon"s corpse for the return trip.]

So he extends the sense of achievement of successfully slaying the dragon to every one of the adventurers.

In doing so, he ensures that fame of his name is spread throughout the country.

[All of us...? Are you good with that?]

[I can"t loot it all by myself, and if I leave it here, monsters will just devour it. Get what can be gotten, because I must burn the body soon. It"ll be problematic if it becomes a Dragon Zombie.]

Thus, the day of the Quagmire is over.

Actually, locating the Red Dragon and returning from the trip took about seven actual days, but the [day] of the Quagmire was over.

Today"s harvest was materials from the Red Dragon.

After selling a fortune"s worth of materials, he returns to his bed with a warm feeling in his chest.

Before turning in to bed, he stops for a meal at the bar and eats a substantially smaller amount of food as compared to his breakfast.

He who is devoted, prays to G.o.d gratefully for pa.s.sing yet another day safely.

The Good Night ritual is not something seen or known to others, but it is an important thing to him.

Because it meant that now that the day of having to be the Quagmire is over, he can resume his search for his long lost family on the morrow.

--- From Rudeus"s point of view ---

The nightly event.

I am eating a meal as usual in the bar.

Of course I"m by myself.

The meal is just enough for myself.

This guy is rich and lonely.

But it"s not like it"s a bad thing.

Because I hate being crowded anyways.

[It was right at that moment! The Red Dragon had appeared!]

On the stage in the bar, three minstrels brought with them their instruments and began to play.

One stands in front of the others and with a sweet sounding voice, spins a tale. The two others perform the background music accordingly, joining in with a JARAN~ sound effect.

The Minstrel.

It"s an occupation that makes money by being commissioned as entertainment by singing about or reciting poetic tales.

In the case of a big town, it"s normal to be part of a Theater and to have exclusive contracts to certain places.

But it"s not just that.

Adventurers with the occupation [Minstrel] are splendid people.

They sing of their travels with other adventurers, and the tales they twist are funny and exciting.

The affinity between an adventurer and minstrel is good.

In addition, in this world without copyright, on a daily basis, the tales they hear are often taken in and retold in a new and unique way.

There are also the times when some minstrels gather, share ideas, and evolve their craft.

Among them, those with different instruments often party up by forming a band and travelling the world.

Of course, even they have enough skill to fight against monsters.

A singing, dancing, fighting adventurer.

In this world, that is what a Minstrel is!

Occasionally, this party of three minstrels I"m watching have been seen in the Adventurer"s Guild from time to time.

They must have been a C-rank party.

Their name was [Big Voice Band].

It was a wonderfully ostentatious name.

However, they weren"t really talented, and their own works were unpopular.

In an effort to keep creating something more popular, I received an interview request about this and that and the subjugation job I did the other day.

The song being sung now is the story they heard me tell of my journey.

I consider the one who"s singing.

Is he doing alright?

Hmm, it"s okay.

In my previous life, I was crazy about music.

I tried to produce a song for a certain Vocaloid[2], but it ended up as a complete failure.

Since then, the only musical instrument I continue to say I can play is the KETSU-Drum. [3]

I am always up to the task to play those drums.

They twisted a tale just from the story I told them of what happened.

Even if they aren"t talented, their creativeness will at least be accepted.

The song is played in the style of a village"s storytelling old gramps.

It reminds me of a television doc.u.mentary program.

It should be interesting to hear it.

But the narration is bland, and the song will likely remain unpopular.

Even if they were to change it now, the heckling has already started.

Even I, the actual hero of the story, would say it is terrible.

Around the time I"m thinking such things...

BAM!

Suddenly the door to the bar is thrown open.

A chilly air blew in.

Eyes stared.

People trembled.

[At last I"ve finally found you, "Rudeus of the Quagmire"!]

There stood a member of the Long Ear Tribe with hair like French bread.

While it looked like an adventurer, its clothes were suitably dress-like.

It wore a backpack and had a sword and s.h.i.+eld hung around the waist.

The only word needed to describe her face was Beautiful.

Almond eyes, long ears, and l.u.s.trous blonde hair.

A slender body with a flat chest and long ears.

It certainly feels like this is what"s called an "Elf".

Before she could point a finger.

All eyes were fixed on me.

[Geh... "Quagmire" ...isn"t here...?]

The man who had just been heckling now wore an unpleasant face.

I disregard it.

Because I"m tolerant.

I turn back and look at the Elf.

[Have I finally been found at last...?]

I suitably replied.

However, she doesn"t recognize me for the moment.

I certainly haven"t done anything in the last few years to warrant someone carrying a grudge.

I work in order to make my name famous.

The name "Rudeus of the Quagmire".

I help others, I don"t pick fights, and I am always careful not to get a bad reputation.

I have often been given thanks to by those I wasn"t really acquainted with, but this is the first time I have been talked to this way by such a beautiful woman.

She is probably one of those types too...

But then again, my intuition tells me differently.

[Since you are famous, you were easily found.]

[Eh, just a moment ago, didn"t you say you had "finally" found me?]

[Actually, I thought you were still to the East a bit more.]

The woman said as such and quietly watched me with such beautiful eyes.

Somehow, something like drool began to slide down the side of her mouth.

She quickly licks it away.

Heh, is it love at first sight for her?

Or perhaps she desires my body which has recently become quite toned.

I have been training a lot recently, and I am also in a growth period.

And so of course muscles would form.

Muscles.

[Is there something wrong?]

[No, no, there is nothing wrong at all!]

The Elvish woman cleared her throat with a sound like "Ko~hon[4]" then took a seat next to me.

Suddenly the bar was filled with whispers of "Ooohhh!".

I heard something along the lines of [So that"s the Quagmire"s woman.]

What a surprising thing to hear.

How is it possible that I have something as outrageous as this woman?

[Fuu~]

She unloads the backpack and places it by her feet, grabs a chair, and with a bang, it hits the ground next to me, then she sits down close.

CLOSE.

WAY TOO CLOSE.

If I was still a DT[5] I would think "What"s there to like about this guy?"

[My name is Elinalise. Elinalise Dragonroad. A former party member with your father, Paul...]

[Hmm.]

I see.

Paul"s friend.

It might be that she"s been searching for me.

[Of course, I am also a friend of Roxy as well.]

[EH!! A friend of sensei! Where is sensei now?]

It"s been a long time since I"ve heard the name Roxy spoken from another person"s mouth.

I was excited to hear about it so I leaned in closer.

Elinalise didn"t answer the question I wanted to hear about the most.

I leaned in closer still and practically kissed my ear to her mouth.

[I heard it, you know, that you had a manly, crus.h.i.+ng solo victory against a stray dragon.]

[Eh.. well... sort of, though, everyone and I was nearly killed.]

[I can understand why you are Roxy"s pride and joy.]

But there was a lot more flexibility dealing with it.

Compared to dealing with Dragon G.o.d Orsted, the pressure was significantly less.

If you consider a man like that, the dragon was something strangely calm.

[To hear that I"m Sensei"s pride and joy is rather embarra.s.sing after all... Is it because I"m emotional about it inside?]

[Your chest. It"s rather strong.]

Before I realized it, Elinalise was feeling around my upper arm and chest with her hands.

It tickles.

She said I was strong, and I didn"t feel egotistical about it.

[What"s this?]

The fingers of Elinalise were touching something.

It was the pendant I had received from Lilia.

[I see, I see. It"s cute and clumsily made. Who gave it to you?]

[My family"s house maid.]

[Maid? by chance, are they of the Long Ear Tribe?]

[Eh? No, she"s not... why do you ask?]

Oh d.a.m.n, we changed topics.

[It"s not a big deal, however...]

Elinalise seemed to particularly mind the sword attached to her waist.

She shows me what is attached to the scabbard.

It is a similarly shaped pendant.

However, it is far more elaborate than mine.

Mine is an amateur"s work - hers is definitely professional.

[...It seems we match.]

Elinalise has seemingly snuggled in closer and closer to me.

What"s going on here?

She has been way too extremely frisky with me for a while now.

[Is yours from a while ago? Perhaps from a guy you really like?]

[Yeah, he"s a good man. Better than I expected. It"s surprising really. I wanted to make more children with him... He was very vigorous and A~MA~ZING....]

I wonder if I"m being teased.

I"m a bit excited.

[Well, the Onee-chan here is also quite beautiful.]

Hmph.

I am not such a DT that I will panic when teased.

So, I quickly push a finger up to close my hanging jaw.

[Nnn...]

Then, Elinalise quietly closed her eyes.

It was the full gesture of waiting for a kiss.

Even though it seemed like a joke, her hand reached around the back of my head and moved in..

[...eh?]

Seriously?

Was there the atmosphere for this?

Is it alright?

It"s alright if I go Zukyuu~~n? [6]

The moment I thought that, the eyes of Elinalise opened with a click sound.

[Yaaa, That was my fault. I"ll stop here.]

[You really shouldn"t go that overboard with the teasing.]

[I am not the kind of person to leave it at a tease with a man. But, I have no intention of becoming a daughter of Paul.I also wish to stay friends with Roxy as well.]

...That explained the matter.

What kind of thing happened back in those days when Paul split from his party that this woman doesn"t even want to a.s.sociate with his son?

Whatever, it"s fine like this anyways.

[Well then, Elinalise-san, do you have official business with me?]

[Sort of. I came to deliver you some good news.]

Elinalise gave me a sweet smile.

On that day.

I learned my mother Zenith had been located.

One week has pa.s.sed since I heard that Zenith has been found.

I still remained at an inn in the Basherant Kingdom.

I want to head to the Begaritto Continent, but winter quickly approached.

So, I decided I would stay in this country for a little while longer.

The winters in the Northern Lands of the Central Continent are severe.

Snow continually falls and can get as deep as 5 meters.

The highway and some important country roads are pa.s.sable, but that changes when heading to foreign lands.

I could use my magic to stop a snow storm, melt the snow and travel onwards...

However I don"t know a magic to clear all the roads, so there"s no way to make it to the next country without having to camp outside.

I would likely meet with a disaster.

Anyway, Zenith is alive, and the word was that the labyrinth is being sought.

Though there were a couple of problems, Paul and Roxy were heading there.

And Elinalise said that there was no need to rush there.

It was better to head there after the winter when the danger was minimal.

So, with plans to eventually go there, I continued with my daily training regimen.

I wake up in the morning and do training.

During my lifetime, I trained to keep my body healthy as long as I can, that"s why right now my body moves well.

After all, a healthy body is a healthy mind.

In the afternoon I didn"t head towards the Adventurer"s Guild.

It is a one-week holiday right now.

I"ll do training until midday, then I"ll look around the market.

If winter is coming, I need to get appropriate clothes now.

While thinking about various things, I began training.

It"s a bit difficult because it"s a holiday.

Running through the snow, I reached the outer wall of the town and a.s.sisted by my magic, I climbed the hill.

[Whoa~!? Say, Quagmire, You shouldn"t go out! How about you take a break today?]

[Can"t, I"ve got to do my daily training.]

[You"re a hard worker aren"t ya? Ah, that"s right, can you help me with repairing a wall next time? I"ll reward you with some rice!]

[If you let me rub your daughter"s t.i.ts, I"ll rebuild your whole house!]

[Now listen here you....]

[Just kidding!]

After greeting with the soldier on top of the outer wall, I jumped down to the city outskirts.

Then I proceeded to run one lap around the city.

Unlike the freshly snow-shoveled streets in the city interior, snow is piled high outside the wall.

I run while making my own road through the snow I melted with fire magic.

After my lap, I proceeded to do sword-swinging exercises.

I learned how to do image training from Ghyslaine and Paul, so the shadow of the person I"m chasing today was Ruijerd.

I can move neither hand nor my foot against him.

I have to train harder.

Afterwards, I took the same route home.

When I was returning to the hotel, I saw Elinalise appear in the window of the room on the second floor.

[Ah... Isn"t it, Rudei, err, -us, welcome home.]

Though she has seen and spoken to my face, the circ.u.mstances are strange.

Her hand grabs the window edge, she is making unsightly faces, and her head moves in a rhythmic fas.h.i.+on.

She was trying to keep her voice low but the volume of her groans of [Nnh, Nnh] was rising.

A bare-skinned shoulder.

Yep. Busted.

[I"m back Elinalise-san, You are "energetic" as well again today it seems.]

[Eh? "Energetic?" Wh-whatever do you mean by thaAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH~t!]

Surely, on the other side of the window there, there is a man who is taking care of Elinalise from behind.

Even though it was cold outside, she engages in the advanced art of open-window play.

She is an "energetic" thing.

I took my eyes off her and entered the hotel, returning to my room.

I"ve come to understand in this one week, that Elinalise is one h.e.l.l of a b.i.t.c.h in heat.

The existence of such a woman is surely some kind of criminal s.e.x offense.

Although I wouldn"t mind being caught up in that kind of crime scene.

But to tell the truth, for the last 2 years, I"ve been suffering from a certain disease.

It"s a sickness of the Heart and Body.

It"s difficult to speak about it in detail.

Well, let me use an example of a plant bulb to try and explain.

If a bulb sees some mountains or a valley, it will sprout out the bud.

And as it grows towards the heavens, it becomes swollen, a splendid stalk that cannot be knocked down by heavy winds or fierce rains.

Then it will release a splendid flower which will bloom.

But, right now my bulb does not grow, and the flower does not bloom.

...In short, It"s ED[7].

And no, it"s not a ca.s.sette tape.

That"s right.

Since that separation experience from Eris, it won"t stand.

Of course, I made an effort to overcome it.

I headed in the direction of a strange place called the Red-Light District.

In my previous life, I would never ever have gone there.

However, the result was complete defeat.

The stem that would come from my beloved bud was instead peacefully at rest.

Afterwards, when I sold my name as an adventurer, I was able to court a lady adventurer.

Even though I surely had a lewd face, I managed to coerce her into my room.

Or, it might have been that because I considered that she may have been a professional.

It"ll stand ready.

However, with it in this worthless state, it was over, and when she was finished being angry with me, she left.

So I gave up.

If I see a naked woman, I do get excited.

But, there is no signal from the spinal cord to that place on the body.

Afterwards, a sense of helplessness and loneliness descended upon me.

My heart broke.

I also don"t think that anymore, there isn"t someone else who can make it grow.

There is no beloved partner.

After that kind of betrayal, only someone who I could see, and feel, and love from the start would be good.

I don"t desire anything more than that.

Hasn"t it been that way since the olden days?

I managed it once, and I desire more.

There is no good advancement from before.

If I choose solo-play that might be good.

I don"t need a partner.

I hate being crowded anyway.

No, recently, even solo-play has to be rather...

I can"t even cry about it!

[Haa~]

I came back to my room.

With magic I warmed the room, then I produced some warm water, and proceeded to wipe my body down.

After changing clothes, I left the room to go eat.

[Ah?]

[Eh?]

And just then, I b.u.mped into Elinalise and the company who had just finished shouldering her burden.

Coming out of the room holding the shoulder was Soldat, who had recently been the one accepting her job requests.

After seeing my face, his own face turned pale.

[Ah, it"s not like that Quagmire.... I didn"t intend to make a move on your woman.]

[Ah, it"s not like that Soldat, Elinalise-san was never my woman. Besides you know how it is.]

[Y-yeah, it"s like that isn"t it, S-sorry. I didn"t mean to dredge up that emotional scar. I didn"t have any intention to go against you, especially after what we accomplished the other day.]

[Don"t worry about it... By the way, was she good?]

[Yeah, she was the the absolute best.]

When Soldat said that, his face went hot.

[Tch...]

After asking him myself, a tongue clicking sound came out.

[About that, Elinalise-san. Does it make you feel good?]

[But of course, it"s only natural that I try to bring every man closer to happiness.]

[....Ah, so that"s how it is.]

I know about it.

Soldat"s male party members and many others have already been gobbled up by Elinalise.

Each and every one of them offered me an apology as they spoke fondly of her.

I don"t really need any apologies.

However, are the other men aware of what happened?

If it comes out, will it become a scene of carnage?

Well, it"s not my concern.

I"m not a partic.i.p.ant.

It"s too troublesome to deal with the awkwardness of those situations.

In the last two years, I have done my best to avoid getting involved in troublesome situations like this.

I don"t cause grudges, and I don"t start fights.

In other words, I should offer her a word of advice here.

[Elinalise-san]

[What is it?]

[It"s okay if you make a mess eating whatever you like, but please clean up after yourself, alright?]

Personal maintenance.

She nodded in a.s.sent as if it was a natural conclusion.

[Of course.]

[Oi, Oi, what"s the story?]

I cannot say what kind of face Soldat was making.

Elinalise gave him a kiss on the cheek and ushered him downstairs.

[It"s nothing at all, now then, shall we eat the meal?]

She is a cruel woman.

Elinalise Dragonroad.

Paul"s former party member.

It seems that along with Roxy, she was also looking for Paul"s family that were involved with the Mana Calamity.

Together with Roxy, they traveled across the Magic Continent, happened upon Kis.h.i.+rika, then came back towards the Central Continent.

I was grateful hearing the story.

Roxy rushed back from the edge of the Magic Continent.

She was going to inform Paul about Zenith"s discovered whereabouts.

In other words, this selfish woman is saying that Roxy is not otherwise coming here.

d.a.m.n.

No, hearing the situation, originally everyone was going to return to Milis.h.i.+on.

It couldn"t be helped if I was left out of the plans.

I should probably be grateful.

It"s fine how it is.

If I head to Begaritto Continent, I can meet Roxy.

I don"t have to rush it.

Elinalise"s adventurer rank is S-cla.s.s.

Her cla.s.s is a [Warrior.]

Only once did I do a subjugation request with her. Truthfully speaking, she is not weak.

Her offensive ability is a bit low, but her aggro control is extremely good.

As far as warriors go, she is first-cla.s.s.

However, she isn"t the strongest.

The strongest [Warrior] to me is without a doubt Ruijerd.

Though, I feel bad having that as a basis for comparison.

Her luxurious blonde hair rolls extravagantly; this elf has an Ojou-sama like beauty.

Though her demeanor is gentle, her conduct is different towards men.

She is always gazing into men"s eyes, casually touching their bodies, and, one by one, seducing them.

I wonder, if it was me at that time, maybe even I could have been charmed?

Naturally, I"ve managed to avoid a misunderstanding.

Moreover, she has the skill to make the men in this world MeroMero. [8]

And apparently, her fighting power on the bed is rather high.

Having said that, there is no reason to look down on or despise her.

She gives advice to the love-struck girl on how to use her feminine wiles to get a man.

In a party, she will take the lead and protect everyone like a reliable Onee-san.

Excluding the small chest which is a characteristic of the Elf Race, I would say she is a faultless perfect woman.

Better known as a Femme Fatale. [9]

The only downside to her is her freelance eating of so many men.

It"s like a fire lighting a fuse when she looks at one.

But, since her aggro control is good, she avoids bloodshed in that matter.

However, how should it be said?

There is a problem that occurs often as well.

She"s never in a party for a lengthy time.

Incidentally, she is in a party with me right now.

She puts on the caring pretense of [I will properly get you to Begaritto.]

Still, the journey to Begaritto will take two years, and it"s problematic if I go alone. Having another person to travel and talk with is something to be grateful for.

Her fighting power isn"t low either.

It"s possible as an adventurer she could even go Solo.

However, she sits next to me and him when we eat.

They lean in close to each other and continue with the irritating petting.

[Soldat-san. Don"t be naughty now, Rudeus is looking, you know.]

[Didn"t he say he was fine with it though?]

[Ara Ara, what a bad boy you are....]

Right now Soldat and Elinalise are flirting in front of me.

I was fine eating alone - why are these two together at the table with me?

Perhaps she wants to flaunt it?

d.a.m.n woman.

Something like that isn"t gonna make me jealous at all.

[....]

Soldat is DEREDERE[10] for Elinalise.

All of [Stepped Leader] were also like that.

So how does Elinalise managed to avoid raising the reverse-harem flag from here?

As much as I want to avoid problems like this, I have a feeling I"m going to have to face it eventually.

I want to straighten this problem out before it gets out of hand, but my actual experience level in such matters is low.

I have a feeling though that if I interfere, I"ll only cause more problems.

Or so I thought.

[Well then, here"s what I promised to pay you.]

[That is, I"m sorry.... Getting to do something so good and then getting paid for it....]

[It"s fine, but in return, you absolutely cannot fall in love with me, okay?]

As she said so, she handed over some coinage to Soldat.

I finally get it.

It was reverse-prost.i.tution.

If that"s how it is, there should be a problem right?

Still, isn"t that a bit unbecoming...?

Life continued on this way for a month until one particular day.

A letter addressed to me arrived.

It was a firmly sealed letter.

On the surface was written the words: [Ranoa Magic Academy].

What"s this?

I went ahead and tore the seal and looked at the contents of the letter.

[Rudeus Greyrat-sama,

Pleased to meet you.

I am Vice Princ.i.p.al Jinas[11] of [Ranoa Magic University], Recently, the fame of [Rudeus of the Quagmire] echoes throughout the Ranoa Kingdom.

I have heard from various adventurers that you are a virtuoso of chantless incantation.

On further investigation, it appears that you have also been a disciple of the [Water King Cla.s.s] Magician known as Roxy.

Do you have any intention of further polis.h.i.+ng your magic techniques?

Ranoa Magic University is ready to invite you as a [Special Student].

[Special Student] includes certain cla.s.s exemptions, and tuition exemptions.

You are of course free to make use of all the books and facilities our school has to offer you as a student.

If you manage to complete your studies after 7 years and submit your thesis to the school upon graduation or to the magic guilds, there is also the unconditional possibility for you to receive a members.h.i.+p recommendation to a C-Cla.s.s Magic Guild.

Of course, graduating without any significant thesis will still allow you to earn the right to enter a D-cla.s.s guild.

May I please be given the opportunity of greeting you once by any means?

I apologize for the suddenness of this request, but I would appreciate your consideration as well.

With my best regards,

[Ranoa Magic Academy] Vice Princ.i.p.al, Jinas Halfas]

It was written there.

[Special Student]...

In short, is this a letter of recommendation for a scholars.h.i.+p student?

I know about the existence of this world"s Magic Guild.

But I have no idea what it does.

I also incidentally know there is a Thieves Guild.

They have a black market network to sell goods and slaves.

But I don"t know about the Magic Guild.

I could expect that they do research on as well as publication of books on the subject of Magic.

Honestly, I just don"t know.

What am I even doing here?

However, why after all this time am I getting such a thing sent to me now?

Certainly, I feel that my magic has reached a bottleneck.

But living over these last two years has taught me that the degree of magic power I have is more than enough to live by.

It was enough to defeat that stray dragon the other day.

...even though that group was weak, it doesn"t change the fact that it was defeated.

The strong make the rules. [12]

At any rate, with my test scores, I don"t really feel the need to attend school.

I don"t really know why I"m here,

I don"t really know why this letter of recommendation came.

And I don"t really know why I would have been recommended in the first place.

Perhaps this is some new kind of scam?

If I just carelessly head there, some scary looking Onii-san types will surround me, then cover me head to toe in gold paint and parade me around.

All joking aside.

I"m honestly thrilled that such a letter came to me.

The Ranoa Magic University is Roxy"s Alma Mater, and the fact that I received a letter of recommendation from there...

I want to know what the real reason behind it is.

Whether or not this letter is somehow a fraud.

[Elinalise-san, I"m heading out to the Adventurer"s Guild for a bit.]

[Wha? Weren"t you taking today off?]

I called out to Elinalise-san, who, since she hadn"t yet fished up a man, was tending to her luxurious hair instead.

[I want to check up on something right now.]

[Wait just a moment, I will also come with you.]

Elinalise put down her brush and stood up.

Though she hadn"t decided on the exact setting of her hair, it still looked fine.

[I may or may not take a request and come back sometime.]

[In the old days, Paul used to say something like that when he was going to the Adventurer"s Guild to flirt around.]

[Is that so, that is something Paul-like, isn"t it? Now that you mention it.]

[When flirting around, two people have a better chance at success than just one. Plus, it"s also easier to take aim at a couple.]

This b.i.t.c.h says something wild all of a sudden.

[Please stop it. Especially when it comes to couples. I will hold a grudge if you come between two lovers.]

[It"s fine. I know what things to watch out for when it comes to that.]

[Let"s try this again. I"m not going to flirt, and you are just accompanying me to the guild.]

In times of peace, there is only one thing in the head of Elinalise.

However, when she takes a job, she instantly changes into reliable Onee-san mode.

Is that personality gap another facet of her s.e.x appeal?

[You know, it"s because you don"t take care of this body that I have to leave it to other men...]

[I wouldn"t mind taking care of it you know? When my "son" recovers that is.]

[I want you to know that I am honestly trying my best to not become a daughter of Paul. Also there"s the promise I made with Roxy, too. I really don"t want to be hated by Roxy.]

What inconsistent things she says.

What a carefree life this woman leads.

[I don"t want to be hated by Roxy.]

Only those words I understand.

And, judging her on those words alone, I cannot come to dislike Elinalise"s way of life.

[I don"t want to be hated by anyone.]

I understand that feeling.

However, even I don"t want to be hated by Elinalise.

Seriously?

O-, MAI, G.o.d.

Enough of that.

[But that"s not my fault, is it? It"s because of Elinalise-san"s personal reasons, isn"t it?]

[That"s right. But it"s not always easy you know, flirting, finding a good healthy boy to gobble up.]

[And what about a healthy delinquent boy?]

[Ara, those are tasty.]

For whatever reason, I proceeded to the Adventurer"s Guild with Elinalise after all.

Even though I won"t be flirting.

It"s early afternoon now.

Adventurers are spa.r.s.e around this time of day.

There is no sign of Soldat or the others of [Stepped Leader] today.

They may already be out on a request.

During the winter months, there are a considerable amount of subjugation requests.

Monsters don"t have holidays it seems.

Despite being a bear, [Raster Grizzly] doesn"t seem to hibernate.

Taking a glance around, I saw the guys of the A-ranked party [Cellar World].

They are a mage-centered party.

A small 4 member party.

One is a magic warrior, and the other three are magicians.

All of the members are above middle rank in magic, and the leader is Advanced rank in fire magic.

[Yo Quagmire, on a date today?]

[Eh, she wouldn"t stop nagging me until I took her out to play around.]

[Huh?]

I chatted with Conrad, the leader of [Cellar World].

He is a 40-year old veteran, a skilled and bitter man with a fancy mustache.

Though he had not partic.i.p.ated in the dragon subjugation last time, I do have a good work relations.h.i.+p with him.

I have been invited to his party several times.

As an attack mage who can also use healing magic, I am valuable even to them.

[So, finally found the b.a.l.l.s to join our party on the long-term?]

[Psh, a lone wolf like myself doesn"t like crowds. I hate sharing an umbrella with others, you know?]

[So you say, but you went ahead and made a party with THAT woman.]

THAT woman. Hearing that word alone, I turn around and see Elinalise-san playfully flirting with the D-Rank adventurer named "Mallory."

Another victim.

From a distance, his face is long since colored red, and he is clearly emitting what the Beast Tribe would call the [Scent of Arousal].

Mallory is a 16-year old boy - his cla.s.s is Warrior.

We aren"t acquainted.

Looking at him, I get the feeling he is not experienced in such matters, especially against the seduction ability of Elinalise, and his arousal is greater than his embarra.s.sment.

[Such things don"t bother me Conrad-san. Rather, I have a little something I need you to hear me out on.]

[What is it, come to extort money out of me? Didn"t you get enough reward from the stray dragon subjugation? A~h, If only we went along as well. I heard it was you that solo"ed it...]

[I"ll treat you well next time. Now then, what I need you to hear....Conrad-san was a graduate of Ranoa Magic Academy, right?]

[I was until the 5th year when I dropped out.]

Even if he dropped out, I don"t mind it.

I asked Conrad about the letter I received.

First off, about what being a [Special Student] meant.

[Ah, a Special Student eh? It is, It is. At the magic university, there are other magicians who can use various magics like yourself, and other adventurers who got their name through fame or recommendation from a Magic Guild, Royal families from foreign countries, or even n.o.bles. Proactively searched for, Special Students are people with great magic power and potential. They aren"t obligated to attend cla.s.ses, and they only have to lend their name to the school as someone who did attend there.

Listen, this way when someone from there becomes famous, isn"t it like free advertising for how good the Academy is?]

It seems it"s like this.

In my previous life, I seem to remember something like this.

Is it different from a Scholars.h.i.+p Student?

Maybe something like having an Honorary Members.h.i.+p?

At any rate, it doesn"t seem to be a complete scam at all.

[What goes on in a Magic Guild?]

[They a.s.sist with production of things like [Magic Items] and [Scrolls].

I"m not enlightened on more than that. For the moment I belong to an F-cla.s.s guild.]

[Ah, is it true if I just graduate from the Academy that I am qualified to join a D-cla.s.s guild?]

[Graduate huh...]

The Magic Guild seems to carry out support for all areas related to magic.

As the rank rises, authority increases, and various aids can be received.

Even if at best all someone could only use was a Beginner grade magic, they can also join.

Normal graduates of the Magic Academies may usually find themselves in an E-cla.s.s guild.

The top of the magic academy is also an executive member of the magic guild, since it"s the magic academy that keeps the magic guild running. If I graduated, I can surely become a member of a D-cla.s.s guild.

If a [Special Student] submits a thesis, C-cla.s.s.

Of course, even those who are not [Special Students] who are also excellent magicians may actually be rewarded with C-cla.s.s.

Incidentally, F-cla.s.s seems to get next to no support at all.

As for Magic Guild Ranks, You can rank-up if you complete certain requests from the guild, or if you contribute certain services to the guild.

Unlike the Adventurer"s Guild, there isn"t a clear path in how you get to the top.

Even a skillful a.s.s-kisser with an executive connection can manage to rank up.

Truth be told, entrance even up to B-cla.s.s can be bought with money.

[Quagmire, haven"t you already gone to school?]

[I had a private tutor.]

[Hmm~ Weren"t you quite rich though?]

[Just in name, as part of the upper aristocracy of Asura]

[...Sorry Quagmire, what was your family name again?]

[Greyrat. I am Rudeus Greyrat.]

Even though the name [Rudeus of the Quagmire] is famous, it seems the name of Greyrat is not spread with it.

It doesn"t matter to me.

Even I don"t know Conrad"s family name.

Though I heard it when we introduced ourselves, I"ve already forgotten it.

[Greyrat, wasn"t that the name of some regional lord in Asura Kingdom? That"s amazing, but if that"s the case, why are you a solo adventurer out here?]

[That is because....]

As I started to speak, everything about Eris flooded my mind.

Her face, her warmth that night, and the painful loss of her the next day.

...and then my worthless little man after that...

Tears were noticeably flowing.

[Huh, W-what..? Sorry, I guess you have your own difficulties as to why.]

I still care about her it seems.

Isn"t it about time I forgot about her already?

I"m sure she"s changed a lot already, She"s probably already forgotten all about me.

There"s really no point in me carrying a torch for her anymore.

Don"t Think.

Don"t Feel.

[But still, if you are being given preferential treatment from them, do you have any good reason not to go?]

Conrad said it, and I suddenly recalled it.

The reason I bothered tutoring Eris in the first place, is because it was necessary to earn tuition for the Magic Academy.I was going to take Sylphy with me.

That was my first goal.

However, I don"t feel the need to go there right now.

The circ.u.mstances now are different from back then.

Although, good things might happen if I join the Magic Guild.

It"s not something that I particularly need to do right now.

I"d probably be better off joining Paul.

[That"s right. I"m with Paul on this matter, even he wanted you to attend that school. You are already at a good age, why don"t you learn to become independent?]

When I noticed it, Elinalise was suddenly next to me.

She seems to dislike Paul a great deal.

[It might not be too late to meet with my whole family once again.]

[I"m told Zenith was safe. Just live your life. You"ll surely meet her again.]

[No, the first meeting will likely be a family dissolution.]

[Paul and everyone, wouldn"t they come back to Asura?]

[Isn"t it more likely they will go to live in Milis.h.i.+on?]

[Milis.h.i.+on is not the place where a man with two wives can live comfortably.]

In the Milis religion, the premise of 1 husband 1 wife is common sense.

Certainly, a guy like Paul would find it a little bit difficult.

[I mean, does Elinalise-san really not want to see father that badly?]

[That"s right!]

Elinalise said so unconcernedly while shrugging her shoulders.

But even if she doesn"t want to meet Paul, she"s not going to give up on her plans to get me safely to him.

There are times when I just don"t know what she"s thinking.

[By the way, Quagmire]

[What is it?]

[Isn"t it about time you introduced me to that Onee-chan of yours?]

Conrad followed Elinalise with a lewd pair of eyes.

This woman, how is she so popular?

Anyways.

Nothing is lost.

Though it"s a very tempting offer, I think I"ll pa.s.s on the Magic Academy right now.

That night.

I was in a white place.

There is a guy.

It"s that guy.

The mosaic.

It"s been two years.

[Un, It"s been a while.]

Ah, without a doubt, it"s. .h.i.togami.

[What"s with that expression?]

It"s nothing, don"t worry about it.

[I don"t mind it. I"m just used to the weird way you say things.]

Is that so?

Even though it"s been a long time since this dream came, the feeling isn"t as unpleasant as before.
Have I gotten used to it?

[Have you adapted?]

I wonder.
For these kind of things, in the middle of searching for Zenith, how many times did I call out for you?
Couldn"t you have appeared once then?

[There are certain reasons for that.]

Is that the reason?
Well, since the result was that she was found, it"s fine for now.
I feel like I lost two years worth of feelings.

[Aren"t you glad? Your mother has been found.]

Ah, I never thought that Roxy would be taking the trouble to search.

[That girl is a hard worker, isn"t she?]

I"m truly proud of my s.h.i.+shou.
I want to meet her quickly on the way to the Begaritto continent.

[Are you sure about that? That you want to show your current and pitiable self to your proud s.h.i.+shou right now?]

...eh?

Pitiable self?
Current?

[Isn"t it the case? Eris ran away after all, that thing is useless too, and even though your magic skill has improved, it"s barely better than back then.

Even your swordsmans.h.i.+p hasn"t improved. You just go through the motions of swinging your sword.

Though your body has became somewhat stronger, can you really say that with conviction?

To say to her "Your Student has grown up splendidly," do you really have the confidence?]

Gununu...
Have you said all that you are going to say?
What is it that you really want to say to me?

[Shouldn"t you be training yourself now? If you go to the Magic Academy, you"ll be incomparable to various adventurers, you should be able to learn all kinds of important things.]

What is this, where are you hiding the cram teacher at?

Ah.
Although that"s rather straightforward, is that the advice this time?

[Yes, did that give you a good feeling?]

In front of me is still a shady-looking guy.

[Oh still that kind of feeling? But, you should listen to what I say this time. If you go to the Begaritto continent, you will REGRET it.]

REGRET?
Why is that?

[I cannot tell you that.]

Is that it?
Anyways, it"s not like y

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