Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 148 - Aisha Greyrat 4

The second night.

After setting up the Detection Magic traps my brother taught me, I used the teleportation circle to arrive at the Holy Land of Swords.

------

Kino, huh.

Which one would it be?

Anyway, I slipped in easily enough.

Or rather, it wouldn't even matter if I'd walked in through the front. The people here don't seem to care at all about someone dressed differently from them. Dead of night, and every single one of them is out practicing swordsmanship.

I wandered around aimlessly, looking for someone not mid-swing to ask. Being interrupted while you're in the zone is annoying, I know that much.

"Hey! Who are you!"

Behind me, a blue-haired girl called out.

I turned and looked her over.

Blue hair, but not Demon Race.

"You first. State your name."

"Nina Farion."

"My luck's not bad!"

"What did you say?"

"You and that — what's his name — Kino! Right, Kino. Are you two lovers?"

The moment I asked, Nina's face went bright red. Her hands flailed around like she didn't know what to do with them.

"I... we... are lovers... but my father hasn't agreed to our marriage yet..."

She seemed to have completely forgotten to ask my name.

A maiden lost in love, huh.

"What would it take for your father to agree?"

"To earn my father's approval, but my father is very strong. He's the current Sword God. Kino, he..."

So.

What's the anomaly?

Could it be that Kino will become my brother's enemy someday? Like, for the sake of a woman, he takes the Man-God's advice, gets strong enough, marries Nina, and then turns against my brother to repay the favor.

It's not impossible.

"Can you take me to find him? I want to meet him."

"I can't, my father has me confined here... Ah! Who are you! How did you get in here?"

That question again. This foolish woman.

How did I get in.

I walked in.

"There's no one guarding this place at all. You can come and go freely, though I'm not a person of the Holy Land of Swords, obviously."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

Nina muttered to herself for a moment, then said, "But I still don't dare defy my father..."

"Even with no one watching, you won't go out?"

"If I get found out, it'll be terrible."

"Then tell me where your man is, and I'll go check on him for you."

That seemed to snap her out of it. She drew her sword.

"In the end, you're just a stranger."

"What's the deal — I won't harm him."

"I'll say it again. State your name!"

I sighed.

"Fine, fine. Aisha Greyrat."

The woman froze.

She stood there for a long moment, murmuring under her breath.

"Greyrat... Greyrat..."

Isn't the Holy Land of Swords supposed to be completely removed from outside affairs? Could she actually know me?

"You, do you know Eris?"

"Huh?"

"Greyrat. Eris married a man named Rudeus Greyrat."

"I do know Sister Eris."

She sheathed her sword.

"Then you're... don't tell me Rudeus took yet another wife? I remember at his wedding there were already three women! And you're also a Greyrat..."

Heh.

Quite the sweet talker.

"Hmm. Your name is Nina, right?"

"You completely forgot my introduction just now?"

"I remember you now. Because what you just said made me very happy, so you get one free request. Anything you want."

"Since you're Rudeus's wife, that puts me at ease... help me check on Kino, would you? I haven't seen him in a few days."

"That's it? I promised you one request. You could've asked me to kill the Sword God for you."

Nina laughed that off like I was joking.

"What are you saying, that's my father. You're definitely no match for him."

"If your father is stronger than Orsted, then sure, I'm no match."

"Orsted? Who's that?"

"Never mind. Just tell me where your man is. If I like what I see, maybe I'll help him out."

"Yeah! Thanks! Kino is in a courtyard in the northwest corner."

"Alright."

I bid farewell to this scatterbrained woman and headed northwest.

------

Courtyard.

A courtyard, huh.

Found it.

Inside, someone was swinging a sword. A young boy.

I settled onto the eaves and watched for a while.

"Ho."

Even I had to admit it.

He's a genius.

The kind you can tell just from watching him swing a sword. Every strike looked like a blade freshly drawn from its sheath.

I dropped down from the eaves and walked toward him.

"Kino, right?"

He stopped and looked at me.

"Who are you?"

"Aisha Greyrat. Though people in the Holy Land of Swords probably wouldn't know the name."

He nodded, straightforward about it.

"Yeah. I don't know you."

I drew my sword.

Not because I thought he was particularly strong. I wanted to feel what Orsted and my brother felt, that moment of teaching someone. What goes through your head when you're on that side of it?

I'm a genius, after all. And the person in front of me is one too.

So I wanted to try.

"Come at me."

Kino didn't hesitate. He raised his sword and attacked.

The Sword God Style is built on two things: speed and ferocity. Often the first strike decides everything.

Kino's form was textbook. The standard answer of Sword God Style, clean and exact. Almost like watching Orsted.

Only.

I was faster.

Less textbook than him, but faster. That was enough.

Truthfully, I've never much liked Sword God Style as a school anyway.

"Alright. You've lost."

I knocked the sword from his hand and sheathed my own.

Kino stared at me. Then his gaze dropped to his sword on the ground.

"You're... faster than the Sword God himself."

"Surprised?"

"Yeah. Very."

"Want to be my disciple? I'll come by at night when I'm free and teach you."

"That's allowed?"

"It is. But first, you have to be honest with me about one thing."

"Go ahead."

"Has a god called the Man-God ever appeared in your dreams?"

Kino shook his head.

"No."

"Hang on."

I took out the scroll Orsted had given me. A secret art of the Dragon Tribe, under it, a person can't lie, because they're convinced Orsted himself is bearing down on them. In the previous timeline, it was apparently how they caught me as a Man-God apostle.

I channeled magic power into the scroll and asked again.

"Ahem. Has a god called the Man-God ever appeared in your dreams?"

"Uh... no..."

Mm.

"Alright. No problems."

So. What exactly is the anomaly Orsted mentioned?

It's not on this Kino?

"One more question. Why do you swing your sword?"

"To defeat the Sword God and marry Nina."

"Oh. Okay."

Hmm.

Then could the anomaly be the Sword God himself?

If it's not Kino, the only one in this Holy Land of Swords who could threaten my brother is probably him.

"Want me to help you kill the Sword God?"

Kino picked up his sword from the ground and went back to his practice swings.

"No need. I'll defeat him myself."

"Fair enough."

Alright, then. That Sword God is most likely where the anomaly is. I'll wait. When he steps out of the Holy Land of Swords, I'll deal with him then.

➤ Next: Aisha Greyrat 5