Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 167 - If10 — What Was Lost
One year after Zenith woke up
My deeds were exposed.
It was my fault. If I had been more discreet back then.......
Zenith didn't rebuke me. She rebuked herself.
I kept my head down the entire time and said nothing back.
It's just....... one day, when I came home
Zenith had taken her own life.
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After Zenith died, I never went back to that house.
I moved into the laboratory permanently.
Honestly, I didn't feel much about Zenith's death.
The real reason I stopped going home was to avoid Sylphiette.
I didn't know what I felt for her anymore.
All these years, and we were still the same.
Except this time, I ran completely.
"Lord Rudeus......."
"I'm not sad, Aisha. You don't need to comfort me."
"But....... for mother, you've been so......."
"I said, I'm not sad."
I stopped paying attention to Aisha and turned toward Nanahoshi.
"How is it?"
"I can write to Orsted...... Are you really going?"
"Yeah."
Half a year ago, a man named Keith came looking for me.
He also wanted to move against Orsted, and he needed my help to do it.
Specifically, he needed me to persuade the Sword God, the Water God, and North God III.
Once I had their locations, I visited them one by one.
I don't think my persuasion was anything special. They just wanted Orsted dead as much as I did.
"I'll go send the letter."
"Yeah."
"Rudeus."
"Yeah?"
"You're going to die."
"That's fine."
"Alright."
Aisha had known about this for 2 years.
This business of challenging Orsted.
Once Nanahoshi's letter was sent, we'd have roughly 3 days left.
3 days to get into position at the trap site.......
As a side note: Nanahoshi and I had developed the Mana Storage Device together, and I had also developed time magic on my own.
The original idea was that once enough mana had been stored, I would use the time magic to go back to the past........
But now, I didn't even want to go back anymore.
I only wanted it to end.
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The night before the battle against Orsted
Aisha and I were together.
She walked into the laboratory without hesitation, completely ignoring Nanahoshi, who was bent over blueprints at her desk.
For some reason, I didn't resist at all.
Nanahoshi didn't say a word either. The whole time.
"Lord Rudeus....... I hope my luck holds."
"What are you talking about?"
"I hope I can conceive your child this time......."
Nanahoshi slammed her palm on the table.
"Just finish already!" she snapped.
That was what she said.
But somehow, for some reason
In the end, it was the three of us.
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The decisive battle.
.......Calling it a decisive battle almost feels like an insult to Orsted.
He killed the Water God, the Sword God, and North God III one after another. One strike each.
After that, only the Fighting God was left, the one with the ability to resurrect.
But Orsted simply ignored the Fighting God and came straight for me.
"I should have killed you back then, Rudeus Greyrat!"
"Yeah! You should have!"
I activated my magic.
Gravity crushed in from every direction, hammering down on Orsted with everything I had.
It was useless.
His body was hard beyond anything I could imagine.
Guerrilla tactics......
I triggered a teleport and pulled back to the laboratory.
Hm?
Something beside me was glowing.......
One instant.
Orsted was already there.
"Hahaha! So you can also...... cough......."
A fist came. I hit the ground hard.
I wasn't dead.......
He walked over, wrapped one hand around my throat, and hoisted me up.
"Why? I spared you. So why do you keep coming back to die?"
"Cough...... haha...... spared me.......? You should have just killed me......."
"Why? Is it because I killed Aisha Greyrat? Or because I killed Eris Boreas Greyrat?"
"Both, obviously, you bastard! I'm going to kill you......."
I reached up, trying to get my hands around his throat. I couldn't reach.
Right as I was about to black out, Orsted threw me aside.
"Rudeus Greyrat. Where is Nanahoshi Shizuka?"
"I had her hide......."
Orsted moved through the laboratory at a leisurely pace, looking left and right, taking it all in.
Then he stopped in front of a draft manuscript.
"You researched this? Time magic......."
"Feel free to try it, see if it works. Hahaha......."
"And next to it — mana...... you built something that stores mana?"
I didn't answer. I just lay there, feeling my breath slowly weaken.
That punch from earlier...... I was pretty sure I was bleeding internally.......
"Rudeus Greyrat. Why haven't you used the time magic and this device to go back to the past?"
"Heh....... I'd rather kill you than go back......."
"Just for Aisha Greyrat and Eris Boreas Greyrat?"
".........Yeah....... but...... honestly, I don't hate you anymore. Whatever I feel toward you, it doesn't rise to hatred. Too many years have passed for that. Attacking you was just me looking for a way to die."
And Paul.
Roxy.
Zenith......
All of them gone.......
"Rudeus Greyrat. If I returned to the past, what would I have to do to make you submit to me?"
I heard the question.
The corner of my mouth pulled into something like a smile.
"Kill Aisha Greyrat in front of me once. Then bring her back........ That's what people are like...... If you actually go back....... try it. The me from back then would get on his knees without a second thought....... Hahaha."
I got to my feet one last time and charged at him.
Every scrap of mana I had left, pouring into the spell.
"Rudeus Greyrat. I will remember what you said."
The magic never released.
That move again.
Front Dragon Gate, huh...... cheap trick.......
And then, all I could see was
white.
➤ Next: The Wedding Date