Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 26 - Some Daily Life

I woke up, washed my face, and finished breakfast.

I opened the front door, ready to head to the big tree from my childhood — the meeting spot we'd agreed on.

"Rudeus!"

"Brother!"

"Where are you going?!" Both at once.

Somehow, Eris and Aisha were standing right behind me.

Aisha was imitating Eris, arms crossed over her chest. The two of them stood there, one big and one small, staring me down.

The only difference: Eris wasn't smiling. Aisha was grinning ear to ear, little fangs on full display.

"Going to find Sylphie."

I answered honestly. Even if I lied, Eris would follow me anyway. Being upfront was easier.

"I'm coming too!" Both of them, at the same time, again.

They looked at each other afterward. Then they smiled.

One night and Eris and Aisha were already this close.

Girls are genuinely mysterious creatures.

I sighed.

"Fine. Let's all go."

"Okay!"

"Yay!"

...

Sylphie had beaten me to the meeting spot, as expected.

She saw me and smiled, raising her hand in a wave. But when she spotted Eris and Aisha trailing behind me, the smile went a little crooked.

I smiled back and waved.

The tense standoff I'd been bracing for never happened.

What followed felt more like an assessment. I watched Sylphie cast, taking stock.

Her control was noticeably better than before. Her total mana capacity seemed to have climbed by a fair margin too, because she could now fire off multiple large-scale spells back to back without stopping. The old Sylphie couldn't do that.

I nodded.

"Sylphie, has your total mana gone up?"

"Yes... before, after practicing every day, I'd feel a tiny increase the next morning... but since last year, I haven't felt that anymore..."

"I see." I thought it over. "You've completely passed. Actually, you've done far better than I expected. I need to start thinking about making a staff for you."

"Eh? Why...?"

Eris cut in before I could answer.

"Because then you can call yourself a proper mage!"

"Eris is right. A staff is what marks your graduation from apprenticeship..."

I stopped mid-sentence.

Sylphie's expression was off. She wasn't happy about this. Wasn't this supposed to be good news?

Oh. That promise from yesterday.

"Graduating doesn't mean I stop being your teacher," I said. "If you run into something you don't understand, you can still ask me anytime."

At that, Sylphie's ears lifted slightly. The smile came back, clean and warm.

"Mm! Rudi... have I made a lot of progress?"

"Enormous progress. Enough to make me see you in a completely new light."

"Hehe..."

Eris jumped in and cut us off.

"Sylphie, tell me more stories about Rudeus when he was little!"

And just like that, the two of them drifted back into their own conversation, shutting me out completely.

I had no choice but to turn my attention to teaching Aisha magic. The two of us sat together — more precisely, Aisha had planted herself squarely in my lap.

"Brother... like this?"

A small flame flickered in her palm.

"Exactly. Keep imagining. Magic training only really works before around age ten. Putting in the work when you're young is what raises your total mana capacity."

Why was I so confident in that conclusion?

I glanced over at Eris and Sylphie.

Sylphie had trained with me before she was ten, and kept at it after I left. Her total mana had increased — I'd just confirmed that today.

Eris, on the other hand, had barely started magic training at nine and a half. Half a year wasn't enough time to make a meaningful difference.

Even after that, I'd kept encouraging Eris to practice, but her mana never grew.

So the conclusion held: building mana capacity probably only worked during early childhood, before the age of ten.

"Dear Brother sure is popular~"

Aisha's voice was soft against my ear. I'd been lost in thought and hadn't noticed.

I looked down at her. She was squinting up at me with a sly little grin.

"Aisha... did Father put you up to this?"

"Nope~ I figured it out all on my own. It's obvious~"

"...Focus on your magic practice."

"Yes~"

She answered without any urgency, then leaned back and settled into my arms like she owned the place.

"I really like Brother too!"

My little sister is... dangerously cute.

"Mm... uh... I like Aisha too..."

"Ah! A confession! Brother just confessed to me!"

Hm. Isn't Aisha only four years old? She understands a lot more than I gave her credit for.

Sylphie and Eris both turned their heads at the exact same moment. They stared for a second, then turned back and resumed whatever they were talking about.

"Where are you even learning this stuff..."

I raised both fists and pressed my knuckles gently against her temples, grinding in slow little circles.

No real force behind it. It didn't hurt. But judging by her reaction, it was very ticklish.

She was laughing the whole time, squirming around in my arms. She never once tried to escape.

"Brother, I'm sorry! Hahaha..."

"Alright, that's enough. Back to practicing."

"Fiiiine... Dear Brother, how do you do voiceless casting?"

That question actually stumped me.

I'd only ever seen two people pull it off: Sylphie and myself.

Eris never managed it. Roxy never learned it either. The guard mages back in Roa all needed incantations too.

"For now, just try imagining. Picture exactly what the spell should look like when it comes out. Be as precise as you can. Once you have a clear image locked in, then release the mana."

"Oh!"

Aisha thrust one hand forward and squeezed her eyes shut. Her expression scrunched up with concentration, like she was genuinely straining to hold an image in her head.

Several minutes passed.

She opened her eyes.

"Brother... I can't picture it..."

"That's okay. No rush. Keep training with incantations for now." I paused. "Honestly, I'm not even sure voiceless casting is something that can be taught. Even without it, you can still become a powerful mage. My teacher needs incantations, and she's still the person I respect most in the world."

"Okay!"

And that was how the day passed. Easy, unhurried, just like that.

➤ Next: Some Daily Life 2