Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 75 - Love at First Sight 3

"Roxy? How are you feeling?"

The next day at noon, I came downstairs and found Elinalise sitting at a table chatting with some man I'd never seen before. When she noticed me, she leaned over and whispered something in his ear, then waved me over. The man left with his face red.

"Pretty much recovered. A few more days and I should be ready to start exploring."

"Oh~? And how are things going with that little disciple of yours? He seems awfully attentive to you."

Rudeus is attentive to me?

Well... it's true he does care about me a great deal...

I pulled out the chair beside Elinalise and sat down.

"It's only because... I was his Home Tutor when he was young. He respects me, that's all."

"Is that so. Well, let's eat first."

Elinalise waved down one of the inn's servers.

I looked around. Other than Elinalise, I didn't recognize a single face in the place.

"Where is everyone?"

"Exploring the labyrinth. They won't go deep, so don't worry."

"I see. And you're not going with them, Miss Elinalise? You're the only one who can serve as defender, aren't you?"

"Honestly, ever since your disciple showed up, they don't really need me anymore. He can sense where monsters are going to emerge, and by the time they actually appear the fight's already over. So I stayed behind to look after you~."

"Hm? Rudeus has a skill like that?"

"I wouldn't know — I'm not a mage."

So Rudeus has grown even more in these past ten-odd years.

Detection magic? I've never heard of anything like that...

Actually, could this be something he invented himself? If it is, there's no chant to learn. I probably couldn't pick it up even if I tried...

"What are you thinking about?"

"Ah. Rudeus."

"Oh~? You like him?"

My head snapped up. I felt heat rush to my face.

"No, no — I was thinking about the magic..."

"It's fine to like him, you know. He's a good man, and his feelings toward you seem pretty warm too. I get the sense you could win him over without much trouble at all."

Elinalise kept nudging my side with her elbow.

No matter what I said, she didn't seem to be listening.

Still... the truth is that I do like Rudeus. Love at first sight always sounded like something out of a bad novel, but it seems to have actually happened to me.

Would Elinalise even believe me if I said that? She'd probably believe it. After all, she falls into love at first sight with every man she meets.

When the food arrived, I picked up my knife and fork and asked very quietly.

"Miss Elinalise... do you think... since all of Mr. Paul's partners were fairly full-figured, and Rudeus is his son..."

Elinalise looked at me and smiled in a way I couldn't quite read.

Then she reached out and started running her hands over me, nodding to herself as she went.

"Roxy~ it's true that most men do tend to prefer a more voluptuous figure. But..."

Her hand suddenly landed on my thigh.

"Eek!"

"There are always exceptions~. You understand what I mean? A reaction like that might actually excite them more."

Excite them?!

What is she even saying. I've lived nearly 50 years and I'm not ignorant about the body.

But after she touched me like that, I suddenly felt like everything I knew was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Besides, isn't Sylphiette also on the slender side? He seems to like her just fine."

"Mm... hm? Ah... Rudeus likes Sylphiette?"

"They like each other. You could see it at a glance, couldn't you?"

"I... is that so..."

I suppose. Just watching them talk, anyone could tell they suited each other. So I wasn't exactly shocked.

But thinking it through carefully, even if something did happen between Rudeus and me, it would be complicated. My age is about the same as Mr. Paul's, after all...

And I'm simply not the kind of person who can push herself into someone else's feelings...

My first love... is it already over...?

"Roxy? What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing. The labyrinth."

"You really are an open book."

Elinalise rested her chin in her hand and looked at me the way you'd look at a child who refuses to help themselves.

There's nothing I can do about it. I finally found someone I liked. I even worked up the nerve to ask him out. And then I found out he and someone else already have feelings for each other.

Of course that stings. I want someone to love too, a happy family, all of that...

Something flicked my forehead.

I looked up. Elinalise was gazing down at me.

"Roxy. If you like him, go after him."

"But he already has someone he likes..."

"So what? They're not married. And even if they were — Rudeus isn't a Milis Church believer. With his ability, taking four wives wouldn't be the least bit surprising."

"Still... wouldn't I be getting in the way of something...? And I'm so much older..."

"Relax, Roxy. Pursuing your own happiness is never wrong. And if he abandons Sylphiette just because you come after him, then it only proves he never loved her all that deeply in the first place, doesn't it?"

"I... I suppose that's true."

"As for age, look at me~. Men don't care about age. They care about how you look."

She reached out and gently pinched my chin.

"Your race barely ages by human standards. Men will only like that more, not less."

Somewhere between the first bite and the last, Elinalise quietly transformed in my mind from a woman of loose habits into something like a sage of the heart.

So she does think about this sort of thing after all. I always assumed she was the type who put her dress back on and walked out without a second thought.

"I... I stand corrected..."

"Alright, I have a date with my little kitten~. Finish eating and get some rest. Don't go wandering off, or Rudeus will have my head."

"Ah... right..."

After I finished eating, I went back to my room.

The market trip is tomorrow...

"Pursuing your own happiness can never be wrong, can it..."

➤ Next: Date, Heart's Intent