Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 133 - The In-Laws

After Roxy's mother woke up, I made another trip to the Demon Continent.

This time I didn't bring Lara or Roxy. Mainly because I wanted to bring my in-laws back with me.

"You... you're really Roxy's husband?"

My mother-in-law, Lady Rojari, looked me up and down.

Wow. When she'd been lying in bed with her eyes closed I hadn't noticed, but standing up like this, she really was cast from the same mold as Roxy.

Hmm. If anything, the corners of her eyes were a little gentler.

I was about to say something when Rowin answered for me.

"He is! He's Roxy's husband. They already have a child!"

"A child!?"

Rojari clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Yes! Her name is Lara. Exactly like Roxy when she was little — incredibly cute!"

"Ohhh!"

I know this might sound a bit odd.

But I genuinely found my in-laws adorable right then.

How to put it, it was like watching two Roxys have a cute conversation right in front of me.

Wait. Don't their race communicate telepathically?

Ah...

They were speaking out loud because I was here. How thoughtful.

"Rudy."

Her voice was so gentle. It really did sound like Roxy.

"Rudy?"

"Ah! Yes, Mother-in-law?"

"Um... well, my husband says you'll take us to your home? We'll be able to see Roxy and Lara, right?"

"Yes, though you don't actually need me to take you. That teleportation circle, just pour mana into it and it activates. It links directly to our house."

"Oh oh! Then can we leave now?"

"Of course."

The three of us said nothing more. We stepped onto the teleportation circle.

-----

"Papa! Grandpa!... Grandma?" [Demon God Language]

The moment we arrived, Lara's voice rang out bright and clear from Roxy's arms.

Hmm. Windsor and Lucy were here too, along with Sylphiette.

Eris seemed to have gone to Zenith's to learn cooking.

Personally I thought Eris's cooking was already quite good, but she didn't agree.

Come to think of it, what should Windsor and Lucy even call my in-laws?

While I was turning that over in my head, Sylphiette reached out and patted both girls on the head.

"Lucy, Windsor — these are your grandpa and grandma too."

Both of them nodded.

Anyway, first things first. I pulled out the items that bridge the language gap.

2 necklaces. Borrowed from Nanahoshi.

"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law — these necklaces let you understand and be understood. Please put them on."

Rojari pressed her palms together and beamed.

"Thank you, Rudy."

"Thank you."

Mother-in-law, please stop calling me Rudy...

I'd been the one who told her to, so I had no one to blame. But somehow it still felt strange.

Rojari and Rowin put the necklaces on.

"Lara?"

"Oh! Grandma!"

Lara slipped from Roxy's arms into Rojari's without a second of hesitation. No shyness at all.

Rowin, meanwhile, started taking in the house. He looked around slowly, his eyes landing on Lucy, Windsor, and Sylphiette.

Somewhat surprisingly, Sylphiette's hair didn't get any kind of odd reaction out of him.

Roxy had mentioned before that her parents used to scare her with stories about the Superd race.

"These are...?"

"This is my wife, Sylphiette. And these two are my daughters, Windsor and Lucy."

"Eh? Both children are from this wife?"

Father-in-law was nothing if not direct.

I was about to answer when Roxy got there first.

"Father, Lucy is Sylphiette's. Windsor is Eris's. Lucy's hair takes after Rudy~ Windsor's hair takes after Eris~"

"Oh oh... wait. Y-you... you have another wife?"

"Yes, Father-in-law. I... have one more wife."

"You, you, you...!"

Rowin looked like he wanted to jab a finger at my face and let me have it. The height gap made that difficult.

And then Roxy cut him off.

"Father. I am very happy right now. If you say something that leaves a bad impression on Rudy, I won't bring Lara to visit you anymore. And you're not allowed to sneak through the teleportation circle to see her either."

"Eh, eh!?...Alright. As long as you're happy."

Roxy's fierceness left him deflated. He conceded.

Well...

I patted Roxy on the shoulder.

"He doesn't know me yet. It's natural for him to worry."

"That's exactly why I'm angry. He doesn't know Rudy at all, and he already wants to say things that would hurt him."

"Roxy spoils me too much."

Roxy smiled, rose onto her tiptoes, and pressed a light kiss to my cheek.

"Ugh!"

Rowin made a strangled sound beside us.

I understood completely.

If my own daughter grew up and kissed some man's cheek right in front of me, I wouldn't be able to handle that either.

Not a chance.

Holding onto that thought, I walked over to him.

"Father-in-law."

"Mm."

"I know it might be a bit late to say this now. But I will make Roxy happy."

"Well... looking at the two of you, you already seem pretty happy."

Rojari smiled. Before she could say anything, Lara spoke up from her arms.

"Mm! Papa makes Mama and Red Mama and Green Mama all very happy! At night too!"

Hmm?

Hmm.

My Silence Magic shouldn't have failed. Not once. Since the girls were born I'd been extra careful about that, I never let it slip.

And besides, how old was Lara? Did she even understand what she was saying?

"Lara~ what do you mean by 'at night'?"

That was Roxy. She was clearly just as worried about the Silence Magic as I was.

"Green Mama told me before! At night, if you sleep with the person you love and feel really happy, you get a baby!"

"So?"

"Red Mama has a baby!"

"Ah?"

Roxy's voice jumped.

And Lara's casual declaration left me frozen in place.

I managed to ask, "Lara, how do you know?"

"Hmm... a dream?"

I turned it over in my head. Eris's routine lately: sword training, meals, and making babies at night.

Getting pregnant wasn't the surprising part. The surprising part was that she hadn't shown a single sign of it.

I'd have to take her in for a check in a few days.

Either way, once that topic was set aside, I scooped up Lucy and Windsor and headed toward Paul's house.

-------

The sun had gone down. Snack vendors were setting up along the street one by one.

"Papa, I want that..."

Lucy's voice was soft and a little shy as she looked at the grilled skewers by the roadside.

Lucy, who was usually so timid, actually asking for something herself. How could I say no?

"Alright. Windsor, do you want some?"

"Mm."

Windsor was still on the cooler side, but there was a hint of a smile on her face.

My girls really did have completely different personalities.

Sylphiette, walking beside me, spoke up.

"Rudy~ spoiling them isn't good, you know. We're going to Mother's place for dinner soon."

"A little snack before the meal should be fine."

Sylphiette sighed, then turned to Windsor and Lucy.

"You two, only half each. Give the rest to Papa."

"Got it~" in unison.

Sylphiette was really starting to sound like a mother.

Both girls ate their skewers down to exactly half, then held them out to feed me without being asked.

This was the life. My 2 daughters, feeding me.

One bite from the left, one bite from the right, the rest was gone in moments.

I glanced over at Roxy and Lara. Mother and daughter were still working their way through every stall in sight like a pair of little gluttons.

"Roxy, Lara~ don't fill up, okay? If you eat too little at dinner, Red Mama will be sad."

Roxy answered in that soft, drawn-out way she had.

"Got it, Rudy~"

"Papa, it's all Mama who wanted to eat~"

Then I watched Roxy start gently pinching Lara's cheeks.

"Papa! Mama is bullying me!"

"That's what you get for getting Mama in trouble. I don't have a free hand to carry you, you know."

"Wah... I want Green Mama to carry me... Mama isn't gentle at all."

Sylphiette smiled and opened her arms.

"Come here, Lara."

------

[Alright, why do you keep making that face? Doesn't Roxy look happy to you?]

A little way behind Roxy, Rowin and Rojari walked arm in arm, trading thoughts in silence.

[She does...]

[And Lara is so cute~ she really is exactly like Roxy at that age.]

[She is, isn't she?]

[Alright. We're about to meet the son-in-law's parents, so drop that expression before we get there, okay?]

[Got it.]

➤ Next: The In-Laws 2