Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 58 - What They Call a Mother

Norn's Perspective:

"On the road, listen to Sylphiette-nee and Mama, alright?"

Dad stood beside the carriage, gently ruffling my hair.

"Alright."

"Once you get there, listen to your brother."

"Okay..."

Whatever Dad said, I just nodded along obediently.

Satisfied that I'd taken it all in, he called out to Sylphiette-nee at the front of the carriage.

"Okay, you can head out. Be careful on the road!"

Sylphiette-nee nodded and got the carriage moving.

Inside, with Lilia-mama, I didn't know what to say.

I knew Lilia-mama was also my mother. But I'd never really talked with her about anything. Not once.

Right now was no different. Lilia-mama sat quietly, smiling as she looked out the window.

Ugh...

Maybe she sensed my boredom, because Lilia-mama spoke first.

"What kind of person does Norn think he is?"

"Ugh... really amazing?"

That's what Dad, Sylphiette-nee, and Lilia-mama all said. So it had to be the right answer.

Lilia-mama nodded, as expected.

"Your brother was someone else's teacher by the time he was eight years old."

"Wow... brother knew that much when he was eight?"

"He did. Your brother is far more amazing than you think..."

Lilia-mama reached out and patted my head.

"And far more ordinary than you think."

"Huh...?"

Wasn't that a contradiction?

Brother was so amazing. What did that have to do with being ordinary...

"Strange, isn't it?"

"...A little."

"I didn't give birth to your brother. But I am still his mother."

Lilia-mama's eyes grew soft. She seemed to drift somewhere far back, and then she spoke.

"Your brother loved books from the time he was very small. He used to climb into my room and ask me to read to him."

"Ugh..."

I felt a little ashamed. I still couldn't read so many characters myself.

"When he was little, he'd frown over a word he couldn't recognize. When his magic accidentally soaked the floor, he'd get flustered. He always thought I hadn't noticed — but I had."

"Brother used magic in secret when he was little... and Lilia-mama caught him?"

"Every time. He was always sneaking off to practice, and he clearly didn't want anyone to find out, so I never said anything to Zenith-nee." Lilia-mama's smile faded a little. "In the end, she found out anyway."

She was quiet for a moment.

"So don't think of your brother as someone who can do anything, Norn. Paul is just too..."

She stopped. Maybe she'd realized she was saying something she shouldn't to a child.

"Yes..."

I already knew what she'd meant to say.

Dad trusted brother too much. He believed, almost without question, that brother could handle everything. That way of thinking was the problem. Lilia-mama was right. Brother was just someone remarkable, not someone without limits.

Is that what mothers are like? Even with someone as amazing as brother, Lilia-mama still just sees a child.

"I understand, Lilia-mama."

"Good. When you see your brother, spend some time talking with him. Back then, it hurt him that you kept your distance. He knew it was shyness, but it hurt all the same."

"...Yes."

➤ Next: Sylphiette — Tears Unshed