Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 81 - Brother — Heartbreak

"Speaking of which, Rudy should be coming back soon, right?"

It had been three months since I started helping Miss Nanahoshi, and seven months since my brother left.

I poured my mana into the last Magic Circle.

"Is that so? It's only been half a year, hasn't it?"

"Well... your brother always has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, doesn't he? Don't you always say he's a genius?"

Miss Nanahoshi wasn't very good at lying.

Though it was possible she just didn't bother keeping her guard up around me, in her eyes, I was probably just a bright, well-behaved kid.

I nodded and stood up from my seat.

"Heading back?"

"About time. See you tomorrow, Miss Nanahoshi."

"Mm. See you tomorrow."

I said goodbye to Miss Nanahoshi and made my way home.

I told the maids what I wanted for dinner, said hello to Mother, and flopped straight onto my bed.

What is this feeling...?

Mm... a feeling I've never had before.

I really miss my brother. More than I did right after he left.

Is this loneliness? Am I actually feeling lonely right now?

"Aaaah! No, I can't be like this!"

I got up, grabbed my sword, and headed out to the courtyard.

My swordsmanship hadn't improved in a long time. Neither had my magic.

Aside from the Dragon God, I hadn't encountered a single opponent who felt truly impossible to defeat, so I'd gotten complacent. Started enjoying life...

Even though my brother said he'd joined the Dragon God's side, I still didn't trust him. Trusting someone who had once killed me, that wasn't something I could just do.

But as I was now, if I ran into the Dragon God again, I'd probably be killed in an instant.

I swung my sword, trying to recall how I'd died the last time.

"It seems like... I didn't even see anything before it was over..."

Even my brother couldn't hold him off for a single second. Was an opponent like that really something we could ever defeat?

And that Man-God, the one who never shows his face, always muttering cryptic nonsense from the shadows, that's who faces him?

Hm. Maybe the reason he never shows his face is precisely because of the Dragon God. That would make sense...

"Aisha?"

A voice cut through my thoughts. I turned. Norn was coming home.

"Welcome back, Norn."

"Mm, I'm back. Are you practicing?"

"Yep. Why are you so late tonight?"

"Well... I joined the Student Council. I was there handling some things before I came back."

"The Student Council..."

I remembered that princess and her knight were in the Student Council. So that was why I'd seen them together.

"Is there a problem?"

"Not for me. But our brother really dislikes royalty and nobles. Better not to get too close to them, Norn."

"Princess Ariel is a wonderful person. If our brother met her, he wouldn't dislike her."

That was hard to say. Our brother's attitude toward royalty and nobles was the same as his attitude toward demons...

"Well... as long as you think it's fine."

"It's fine. Dinner's almost ready — aren't you coming inside?"

"You go ahead. I want to check on Domi first."

"Okay."

I put away my sword and walked to the stables.

Domi was lying there, carefree as always. Several months had passed, and he showed not a trace of anxiety over my brother's absence, even though my brother used to feed him often.

I picked up the bag of carrots sitting by the stable door.

"Domi~ carrot time."

Hearing me, he climbed to his feet with all the reluctance in the world.

I had just finished the last carrot when a few raindrops pattered down.

Sure enough, the moment Domi noticed the rain, he perked right up.

I never understood why, but he loved rainy days.

"Alright, alright, I'll open the gate. When you're done running around, come back on your own."

The moment I opened it, he bolted outside.

What a strange horse.

I shook my head and went back inside. After a bath, I had dinner with Norn and Mother, then lay back on my bed and studied Miss Nanahoshi's teleportation Magic Circle until sleep took me.

...

In the early hours of the morning, just before the sun would have risen, I heard a commotion downstairs.

A commotion, and a familiar one.

I was out of bed in an instant and running downstairs.

My brother. Mother was already receiving him and his party.

I crossed the room and threw my arms around him.

"Welcome back!"

"I'm back."

He patted my head.

I was a little dissatisfied. Shouldn't this be the moment for a proper hug?

I looked up, about to say something, and then I saw it. His right arm. Gone.

"Brother... your arm..."

"Just a little accident. It's not a big deal."

"How is this not a big deal?! Did you bring it back with you? I heard King-tier healing magic can restore a severed limb. If we go to the Milis capital, find someone like the Archbishop, we might be able to—"

He touched my face, cutting me off.

In a gentle voice, he said:

"Aisha. It's okay."

This is my fault.

If I had pushed harder and gone with him...

I was too naive. I'd always assumed my brother would be fine no matter what.

But in the end, my brother is just a mage.

If a fatal blow lands, he dies too.

It's my...

"Aisha. It's really okay."

He must have seen my expression. He said it again.

"Mm..."

His words pulled me back.

And quietly, I made myself a promise: if anything like this happened again, if there was any chance of danger at all, I was going with him. No matter what.

I took a breath and began looking around at the people who had returned.

That was when I noticed the girl standing at my brother's side. Blue hair. A young woman, maybe, or barely.

A demon. My brother had brought a demon home?!

"Let me explain the situation."

Father's voice cut through the noise.

...He'd changed so much. He almost felt like a stranger.

It had been nearly ten years since I'd last seen him, ever since he left with my brother.

...

The situation was not good.

Mother Zenith had...

I looked up. Norn was clinging to Mother Zenith, crying.

My brother's face was grave. Father looked eaten up with guilt.

"At least everyone made it back safely, right? It's been a long journey, how about we rest first?"

The person who said that was my brother. The last person who should have.

"Yeah... mm..."

Father still wore that same haunted look.

"Then we'll take our leave. Paul — spend some time with your family."

The group behind my brother nodded together.

"You're not staying the night?"

My brother tried to hold them.

So those were the companions who helped bring Mother home.

"Heh. We're off to the brothel."

"I need to go find myself a man. I can't hold back any longer."

And with that, they were gone.

I moved to my brother's side and found the blue-haired girl was still there.

She was holding his hand.

Huh? This...

"Alright, let's leave it there for now. Uh... Lilia, could you help Zenith with her bath?"

Father said it a little awkwardly, directed at Mother Lilia.

Mother Lilia smiled and nodded.

"Of course. I've been wanting to catch up with Zenith too."

"Mm..."

After Mother led Mother Zenith away, Father stood there looking at me and Norn.

Since he'd walked through that door, I hadn't said a single word to him.

What was I supposed to do?

My brother's hand landed on my back.

"Go hug Father. He's exhausted too."

"Mm..."

I walked over and hugged Father.

Norn watched me for a moment, then nervously stepped forward and hugged him too.

"It's been so long... Norn. Aisha..."

I noticed the change in his voice before I noticed the tears in his eyes.

He'd been suffering too. He'd been carrying all of this too. And I had completely forgotten about him.

I started crying. Norn started crying too.

After a while, Father patted both of us on the head.

"I smell terrible, don't I? I'm going to take a bath. Rudy, want to join me? It's been ages since we bathed together."

"Absolutely not. Why are you being sentimental all of a sudden?"

"Ha, fair point. By the way, how many bathrooms does this place have?"

"Three. Use the one on the third floor, Mother Lilia and Mother are using the second-floor one."

"Right. You really won't come?"

"No."

"So cold."

As Father headed upstairs, my brother turned and said something to the blue-haired girl and Sylphie. They gathered their things and made their way to the first-floor bathroom together.

The living room went quiet. Just me, Norn, and my brother.

"Brother, who is that girl with the blue hair?"

Norn nodded beside me. She wanted to know too.

"My teacher. And my fiancée."

"Eh?!"

"Ah?!"

We said it at the same time.

What surprised me was that my brother had actually fallen for a demon.

"Wha — wha-wha... what about Sylphie?"

Norn was stammering.

"Sylphie is my fiancée too. So is Eris."

"Three of them?! They all agreed?!"

"Mm. They all agreed. Eris... will agree too."

"By Lord Milis above, please look kindly upon my brother and the ones he loves, do not punish him for this!"

Norn suddenly clasped both hands together and began praying in earnest.

But in my heart, I thought this was a good thing.

"What are you worried about? That anxiety of yours, Aisha, there's no need for any of it."

He pulled Norn into his side with his one arm as he said it.

Then he leaned forward and touched his nose to my forehead.

"You two are my most important little sisters."

"Ugh... Brother, you were just telling Father not to be sentimental..."

Norn curled up with embarrassment and reached out to push at his face.

"Exactly. Doesn't Brother ever get embarrassed himself?"

When his clothes came off, I stared at the stump of his right arm for a long moment.

The wound had healed. But even so, just looking at it, I could feel what kind of monster had done this.

I reached out and touched it.

"What's wrong?"

"Does it still hurt?"

"No, not at all. What is it? Why that look?"

"I just feel so sorry for you, Brother."

"When you say it like that, Aisha, it makes me feel embarrassed."

He scratched the back of his head.

"At this rate, Brother, you won't be able to get by without me for the rest of your life."

"It's one arm. You're talking like I'm bedridden."

As he spoke, he began filling the wooden tub with hot water.

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