Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 72 - Reunion

Two weeks after we set out, we arrived near the first teleportation point.

The surrounding area was forest. We ran into quite a few monsters on the approach, but none that posed any real threat to me or Sylphiette.

Sylphiette's adventuring experience is the real thing, no question about it. Sometimes her read on a monster or the terrain is sharper than mine.

All things considered, our journey had been fairly smooth.

"Rudy, is this the one?"

Sylphiette pointed at the teleportation circle marked with what looked like a Dragon emblem.

"Seems like it. Let's sweep the area a bit more first — it'd be a problem if this isn't the only one."

"Mm."

After a thorough search, we confirmed it was the only teleportation circle in the area.

We stepped inside together and channeled our mana.

The moment I felt the magic circle engage, I closed my eyes.

.......

When I opened them again, the ground beneath my feet was sand. The Begaritt Continent, then.

The environment was harsh enough. But compared to the Demon Continent, this was nothing, not even in the same league.

After checking our position on the map, Sylphiette and I set off toward the Labyrinth City.

"Rudy, do you need water?"

"Thanks."

Sylphiette chilled the waterskin with Ice Magic before handing it over. Considerate as always.

I drained it in one go and passed it back.

She didn't hesitate, just put it straight to her lips and finished the rest.

We walked until night fell, though I couldn't tell you exactly how long that took.

We lit a fire and used magic to raise an earthen shelter. Then we sat by the campfire and ate.

"Rudy."

"Hm?"

"I've always wanted to go on an adventure with Rudy like this."

"So how does it feel now that you're actually doing it?"

Sylphiette held her bowl of meat soup and took a slow sip, like she was genuinely turning the question over.

After a moment, she spoke.

"Exactly what I imagined. Rudy really is amazing."

"Is that so? But I'm nowhere near as amazing as you, Sylphiette. Adventuring alone for five years — I couldn't do that. And honestly, I didn't even do anything on the road today."

"Maybe it looked that way to you. But from where I was standing, you were clearly very capable. Really amazing."

I looked at her smile and found myself thinking.

Could I actually do it? Five years, completely alone?

My mind drifted back to the Demon Continent.

Enduring the greed and hostility of the Demon Race. Enduring the brutal environment. Enduring everything that place threw at you.

If Aisha and Eris hadn't been there, I probably would have turned into the kind of extremist who casts magic at every Demon Race member on sight.

Indiscriminately... well. Not entirely. If Miss Roxy had been standing in front of me, I certainly wouldn't have felt disgusted.

"Rudy?"

"Hm? Sorry, I spaced out. What did you say?"

"I asked whether Rudy likes Miss Nanahoshi."

Huh... wait, what?

How did the conversation leap straight into girls' gathering territory?

"If you mean 'like' as in friendship — then yes."

"Wouldn't Rudy want to marry her?"

"No. Nanahoshi... she has something more important to her than finding happiness in this world."

"Is that so. That must be hard on her, Miss Nanahoshi."

Once the topic ran its course, I set up detection magic and trap magic around the camp.

Nanahoshi's map hadn't given us any trouble so far. About two more weeks, and we'd reach the Labyrinth City.

I lay down and closed my eyes.

Then I felt warmth beside me.

I turned my head. It was Sylphiette.

Sometime while I wasn't paying attention, she had lain down next to me. She was staring straight at me.

Close. Close enough that her breath fell softly against my face.

"What's wrong?"

"Rudy is very handsome."

"Uh... where did that come from?"

"Nothing, really. I just suddenly felt a little envious. Miss Eris got to see Rudy's sleeping face every single night."

For a moment, I had no idea what to say.

When we're alone together, Sylphiette does this sometimes. She becomes suddenly forward in a way that catches me completely off guard.

No, that's not right. I should know how to handle this. I already made up my mind.

Eris agreed to it too. I'm not the kind of man who can't make a decision, am I?

I took a slow breath.

"Sylphiette... uh..."

"Hm?"

How do I say this?

I love you, and at the same time, I love Eris, and I want both of you to be my wives?

Is that it? Is that really the right thing to say?

Then a hand touched my face. Gently.

Sylphiette was looking directly into my eyes.

"Rudy, you don't need to promise me anything."

What did that mean?

I was understanding Sylphiette less and less. Sometimes I wished she were as straightforward as Eris.

But if she were, she wouldn't be Sylphiette.

"I..."

Just say it. Say it, and whatever comes after comes after.

Whether she agrees to me having two wives or not, I have to say what I actually feel.

"It's fine." Sylphiette pressed one finger against my lips, and the words died in my throat. "Rudy just needs to follow his own heart. Don't let the mood lead you somewhere you're not ready to go."

"Rudy. Goodnight, okay?"

"Ah... goodnight..."

I still didn't understand her.

Did she not have feelings for me? Had she seen the confession coming and cut it off on purpose?

The thought left a small knot of frustration in my chest. But that probably wasn't it.

Whatever Sylphiette had meant to say, it was something else entirely.

I just didn't understand her heart yet.

.......

The desert carried its own brand of danger, different from the Demon Continent.

Maybe because the monsters here weren't as strong as the ones back there, they compensated by relying on ambushes.

Giant lizards buried beneath the sand that turned you to stone if you met their eyes. Some breed of ostrich with claws sharp enough to pass for blades. Succubi that surfaced at night to lure men in.

Good thing I had mana detection. Without it, I wouldn't have been confident about dodging all of them.

Three weeks into the desert, we reached the Labyrinth City.

I met Paul again at the Adventurer's Guild.

No emotional reunion. No clap on the shoulder, no catching up.

Paul just smiled at me and launched straight into his plan.

"That's the situation. But there's one more thing I have to tell you."

"Hm?"

"Your teacher, Roxy, stepped into a teleportation trap during a previous expedition by accident. Her whereabouts are currently unknown."

His face was heavy with guilt when he said it.

It hit me hard too. But I believed Miss Roxy wasn't dead. She couldn't be.

She's my teacher.

The right move now was to stay calm. Make a plan. Get into that labyrinth and find her.

"Understood. Can we leave for the labyrinth this afternoon?"

Paul nodded.

"We can. Your reaction surprised me, though."

"Why?"

"I thought you'd grab me by the collar and demand answers."

"Father. Miss Roxy is far stronger than you're giving her credit for. She's my teacher."

"Fair enough. Haha."

After dropping our luggage at the inn, Sylphiette and I restocked our supplies and prepared to head out.

Before we entered the labyrinth, I took stock of the party.

Before Sylphiette and I arrived, Paul had been carrying nearly all the offensive weight himself.

Talhand the dwarf was technically a mage, but he almost never cast anything, his main role was supporting Paul.

Elinalise handled the tank position. With Miss Roxy in the party, it would have been a well-balanced team.

Maybe they needed one more swordsman. Someone like Eris...

"Rudy, have you ever been inside a labyrinth before?"

Sylphiette's question pulled me back.

"No. Not even during my adventurer days."

"Then I'm Rudy's senior, aren't I? I've been inside with Uncle Paul and the others before."

"In that case, I'll be counting on Senior Sylphiette to look after me."

"Leave it to me~"

I smiled. Then I saw Paul walking over.

He walked us through the route we'd be taking.

"Our supplies should hold for about a week inside. We follow the same route as last time, the one where Roxy disappeared. Any objections?"

"None. I have detection magic. I'll do everything I can to find her."

"Good. Then it's settled."

Elinalise and Talhand nodded. We entered the labyrinth.

......

Day 1, I fell back into the same rhythm as my adventurer days, supporting Paul and Elinalise while Talhand and Sylphiette shifted into the firepower role together.

Day 3, the party was hitting its stride. Monster groups were cleared in under 5 minutes.

Day 5, the team had stopped needing my support. So I poured everything I had into detection magic and started searching.

Day 7, I found it.

A small figure.

One I would never mistake for anyone else.

➤ Next: Love at First Sight