Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 169 - Bloodline

With only two days left until my wedding with Aisha, Cliff arrived.

I'd given him the teleportation circle coordinates, and he came to the Ranoa Kingdom alone.

Word was he'd already become Pope, though he still hadn't held his wedding.

He must have had his reasons.

"Rudeus!"

"Cliff!"

We met and held each other for a moment. I patted him on the back.

"Where's your wife?"

"In the Holy Country of Milis. She's pregnant."

"Why didn't she come?"

"She has her own reasons... Well, you're my brother. I can tell you."

"Go on."

Cliff took a deep breath. His expression turned serious.

"Lize... she's your wife Sylphiette Greyrat's grandmother. She said she doesn't want her granddaughter to see her pregnant..."

Huh?

Wait. Wait, wait, wait.

Cliff had just said something completely out of nowhere that I couldn't parse at all.

That golden-haired woman of the Long-Ear Tribe is Sylphie's grandmother?

Tsk...

"You're serious...?"

"Yeah. Lize Dedoldia wouldn't lie to me. She recognized Sylphie a while back, she just never had the courage to say anything."

"Then this is exactly the time to come and reunite."

"No rush, Rudeus. Have some understanding for Lize Dedoldia. You're attending my wedding in two months anyway. Bring your wives, and they'll reunite then."

"Should I tell Sylphie in advance?"

"No need."

"Alright."

That was genuinely unexpected.

Sylphie's grandmother...

Which meant Sylphie still had family alive in this world. Outside of us.

Yeah. That was a good thing.

Cliff's wedding, huh...

Oh, right.

"Cliff."

"Hm?"

"Didn't you say back then that you'd hold the wedding the moment you became Pope? Why has it dragged on until now?"

Cliff's brow furrowed. He let out a slow sigh, and when he spoke, there was something tired and a little bitter underneath it.

"Rudeus..."

"Yeah."

"Honestly, inviting you to my wedding isn't just about wanting your blessing. There are some selfish reasons too..."

"Go on."

"Lize Dedoldia... The Holy Country of Milis has never had a precedent of a Pope marrying a woman of the Long-Ear Tribe. And if anyone digs even a little into her past, they'll find problems, because of the curse..."

"You're the Pope. Can't you just force it through?"

"I could. But I don't want to throw the Holy Country into chaos the moment I take office. This is the country I grew up in. I love this place."

"So what do you need from me?"

"Nothing, really. Just show up to my wedding. I've already announced the date to those old fossils, but they don't know who the bride is yet. When the time comes, your presence alone, you won't even need to open your mouth. Those old fossils won't dare say a word."

"Alright. But you'd better treat us well. Not just me and my wives, the daughters are coming too."

"Of course! Ah — one more thing."

Cliff pulled out a letter.

The one I'd sent him.

He unfolded it and pointed to a single line.

[Because of Orsted's curse, you may instinctively feel fear. But I believe in you, my friend.]

"This curse... what does it feel like?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I haven't felt any fear myself, but everyone else seems to."

"Could you take me to meet Lord Orsted?"

"I don't know where he is right now, but... follow me."

"Alright."

There was really only one place I knew Orsted used as a base.

Nanahoshi's laboratory.

He was there often enough.

I led Cliff into the teleportation circle. It let out directly in Nanahoshi's lab.

Inside, Nanahoshi was stretched out on the sofa, napping.

"Rudeus... what brings you here?"

"Looking for Orsted."

"Ah. He's over there."

She pointed toward the table covered in blueprints.

Orsted was bent over a draft of the Mana Storage Device, studying it.

Beside me, Cliff's eyes went wide.

"So this is... the curse..."

He breathed slowly and steadily. After a few minutes, he had adapted, mostly.

As expected of Cliff.

We walked over. Orsted turned his head.

He looked at us both, then spoke.

"...Cliff Grimoire. You became Pope faster than last time."

"You know me?"

"I do. But I won't go into detail on that. What brings you here?"

"I want to study your curse."

"Oh?"

"My wife is plagued by one. I want to understand curses better. I've been developing a tool to suppress them, it already has a working form and can hold back some of the side effects, though I didn't bring it today."

Orsted nodded.

"I can cooperate with you."

"Thank you!"

------

So I sat off to the side and watched Cliff work through a barrage of questions.

Eventually Nanahoshi stretched herself awake, stood up, and tapped me on the head with whatever book she'd been holding.

"Rudeus. Let's go drink."

"Again?"

"What, you don't want to?"

"Of course I do. Let's just wait for Cliff — he's still grilling Orsted."

Nanahoshi settled in beside me at that.

She propped her chin in one hand, elbow planted on my leg.

"Wedding's the day after tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Then tonight I'm getting you completely wasted."

"What are you talking about... I can't get that drunk tonight. There's still a lot to sort out tomorrow."

"Fine."

So Nanahoshi and I waited, doing nothing in particular.

Cliff finally wrapped up his last question. He spun his head around excitedly, scanning the room for me.

"Over here!"

"Oh! Rudeus! Uh... Miss Nanahoshi."

Nanahoshi nodded at him.

"You. Can you hold your liquor?"

"Of course."

She glanced over at Orsted, who hadn't moved to leave yet.

"Orsted! Join us? Just the four of us."

Orsted smiled and nodded.

"You just want to drink his aged liquor," I said.

"It's been a while."

Orsted walked around and took the seat across from us, pulling out a chair without ceremony. He reached into the air and produced a bottle, then set it on the table like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"There's plenty."

Cliff sat down across from me. He didn't seem especially interested in the wine. He was just here for the company.

------

Nanahoshi got drunk.

Cliff too.

I was somewhere in the middle, close enough.

Orsted watched the three of us reach that point, smiled quietly, and left.

We stumbled home with our arms slung around each other's shoulders.

"Nanahoshi! That Mana Storage Device of yours — it actually looks like it could work!"

Cliff shouted it at the sky with one hand raised.

"If it really succeeds — anyone could use large-scale magic! Anyone! That's insane!"

Nanahoshi burst out laughing.

"Right?! It'd be like everyone having an atomic bomb! Hahahaha!"

"Atomic bomb? What's that? Some kind of magic?"

"The most powerful fire magic in the world!"

"Ohhh! Never heard of it, must be God-tier!"

"It absolutely is. Hahahaha!"

Two completely wrecked drunks having the most baffling conversation imaginable.

Shouting in the middle of the street at midnight.

And me, wedged between them, enduring the alcohol fumes and whatever this was.

------

We got home, and my wives came to meet us.

Aisha reached me first.

She took one look at me and frowned.

"Brother~"

"Hm?"

"Why did you bring Miss Nanahoshi home... and who's this?"

"Our wedding officiant. Cliff. Good friend of mine."

"Oh..."

Aisha leaned in and sniffed me.

"Brother~ you reek..."

"Should I take a bath?"

"No need."

She checked whether Nanahoshi and Cliff were fully out. Once she was satisfied, she leaned in close to my ear.

"I actually bought something special for tonight..."

"Hm?"

"It's... something Sylphie-nee picked out for me. She said it's the kind Brother would like..."

"Aisha, didn't you say you wanted that sort of thing to wait until the wedding day?"

"Hmph... Brother's a blockhead!"

She was fuming.

But she didn't turn and walk away.

Instead she got Nanahoshi on her feet and steered her toward the stairs.

Roxy and Sylphie came over then.

"Rudy, let us help?"

They were moving to take Cliff from me.

I shook my head.

"It's fine. Cliff isn't heavy."

Sylphie and Roxy exchanged a look. The corner of Sylphie's mouth twitched.

I wasn't jealous. It's just...

How do I put it. I didn't want my wives holding up another man. Even if that man was one of my closest friends. I just didn't want that.

"Rudy, you're so jealous."

"Mm~ Turns out my student is this narrow-minded. I like it, though."

Anything I said at this point was going to sound like tsundere deflection anyway.

And honestly, it wasn't deflection.

So I just smiled and let it go.

I got Cliff settled and headed back downstairs. Aisha had already taken care of Nanahoshi.

"Where's Eris?"

Sylphie answered.

"She went to bed early tonight. That's just how it is for pregnant women."

"Right. And the girls are all asleep too?"

"All of them. Rudy~ is there something you want to do?"

"No. Just want to lie down with everyone and talk."

"Just talk?"

"Yeah. Tonight I just want to talk."

I looked at Roxy and Aisha.

Roxy nodded.

Aisha smiled.

"Then let's talk with Brother for a bit?"

Saying we'd talk, and it really was just talking.

After all, Aisha and I still hadn't been together that way. All three of my wives wanted her first time to be with me alone.

The three of us lay down beside the sleeping Eris, keeping our voices low as we drifted through small things.

What trouble Lara Greyrat got into today.

How Windsor had practiced her sword forms with surprising seriousness.

How many characters Lucy Greyrat had learned.

What Daibai had managed to break.

We talked until the talking slowed. Until the silences stretched longer than the words.

Sylphie fell asleep first. Then Roxy. Soft, faint breathing from both of them.

Aisha stayed close beside me, pressed right up against my side.

She kept her voice barely above a whisper.

"Brother~"

"Hm?"

"On the wedding day... look forward to it, okay?"

"Where did that come from..."

"Hm-hm~ I've learned a lot from my sisters. I know all your weak points now."

"...Go to sleep."

"Got it~"

All in all,

it was a warm night.

➤ Next: The Wedding