Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 177 - Bosom Friends — The Conversation

"Rudy!"

An utterly ordinary night.

Nanahoshi called me out.

Said she had something to discuss.

Well, just an excuse to drink, really.

-------

That's what I thought.

I didn't expect to walk into the lab and find Cliff and Orsted already there.

"Rudeus. Long time no see."

"Cliff, long time no see. Did you come through the teleportation circle?"

Cliff nodded.

"Yeah, the one you helped set up is incredibly convenient!"

Hm? Wasn't his wedding coming up soon?

How come I still hadn't received an invitation with the actual date?

"Cliff, isn't your wedding right around the corner?"

"It was, yes. Originally set for two weeks from now."

"Originally?"

"I heard your wife Eris is about to give birth. So Lize and I talked it over, and we've decided to postpone until after your child arrives. What do you think, Rudeus?"

Postpone until after Eris gives birth?

That's the best possible outcome, honestly...

"I think it's great. But won't that be a hassle? Isn't your wife also pregnant?"

Cliff smiled and shook his head.

"Not a hassle at all. Lize is barely showing yet. It's better to wait until Miss Eris has properly recovered."

"Alright. Eris should give birth this month, so push the wedding to next month. Any day in the latter half works for me."

"Good, then it's settled! And Nanahoshi — you're coming too."

Nanahoshi nodded without hesitation.

I pulled out a chair and settled in at the table.

The moment I sat down, Nanahoshi cleared her throat like she was about to say something. Before she could, Orsted spoke first.

"Rudeus."

"Hm?"

"Before you head to the Holy Country of Milis, you'll likely need to visit the Asura Kingdom first."

"Oh? What's going on?"

"Around that time, Ariel will send you a letter. She'll invite you to her child's third birthday banquet, then ask that you travel to the Holy Country of Milis using the carriage she provides — it'll bear the Asura Kingdom's insignia. Whether you agree is up to you. That part is a minor matter."

Orsted drained his cup and continued.

"The key is this: she'll also ask you to investigate a small island. Shagall Island. It's crawling with cultists, and they'll cause problems down the line. Ariel has already sent someone to look into it, but that person isn't strong enough. When she asks you, just go and take care of it."

"Is there a teleportation circle?"

"There is."

"Then why wait? Why not go now?"

"When Ariel asks you, that will be exactly when the cultists are holding their ritual. Go then, and you can wipe them all out in one sweep."

"I see. Alright."

Orsted nodded and refilled his empty glass.

Nanahoshi cleared her throat again.

"Ahem! Rudeus!"

"What?"

"I had a conversation with your wives a few days ago."

"You? With my wives?"

Nanahoshi nodded. She knocked back the rest of her drink in one bold pull, then planted her hand on the table with a THWACK, just like some middle-aged guy from my past life.

"Your wives have complaints about you!"

"Eh?! Seriously?"

"Dead serious. They're not happy about how you've been hiding things from them and running off to handle everything yourself."

...Ah. That.

I'd been expecting something else entirely...

"What kind of face is that, Rudeus!"

"Look, it's all sorted out now. My wives were a little unhappy, but they understand. I did it to keep them safe."

"See, that right there! Textbook male chauvinism!"

Male chauvinism... I hadn't heard that phrase in ages.

How did it end up pointed at me?

I shook my head.

"How am I a male chauvinist? I respect my wives completely."

"Heh. You don't let them anywhere near the slightest hint of danger. That's not respect."

"Nanahoshi, male chauvinism is when a husband looks down on his wife's abilities and guards his own pride. I don't look down on my wives' abilities. And do you honestly think I care about pride?"

Nanahoshi gave a soft laugh and refilled my half-empty glass to the brim.

"No, you don't look down on them. And you really aren't the prideful type. But... you've never once considered relying on them. As your wives, they worry about you too. Every time something dangerous comes up, you go handle it alone. That's not full-on male chauvinism, but it's in the neighborhood."

"What's wrong with not wanting my wives involved in dangerous things?"

"Have you forgotten? One of your wives is a Sword King. Another is Orsted's disciple. Who do you think they swing their swords for?"

"Heh. Doesn't matter how strong they are. They're still my wives. Of course I'm going to protect them."

"There! Right there! That's the problem!"

Nanahoshi jabbed a finger at me, then wheeled on Cliff.

"Cliff! You weigh in! Is Rudeus's thinking flawed or not? His wives are incredibly capable, and he still goes out of his way to avoid relying on them. Isn't that a problem?"

Cliff, who had been quiet this whole time, took a measured sip of his wine.

He closed his eyes. Then slowly shook his head.

"Nanahoshi, I don't see anything wrong with how Rudeus thinks. That's just what it means to be a husband. What does it matter if your wife is stronger than you? No matter how strong she is, she is still someone we need to protect. Unless I have absolutely no choice, I would never let Lize do anything even slightly risky."

"Cliff! Truly my closest friend!"

Cliff smiled and went back to his drink.

Nanahoshi rolled her eyes and rapped the table again.

"You two are beyond hopeless! Orsted — you say something!"

Eh?

Asking Orsted?

Well, he had lived for tens of thousands of years. Maybe he'd had marriage experience at some point?

Orsted simply smiled.

"I don't fully understand these emotional matters of yours. But objectively speaking, Rudeus can rely on them. Eris Greyrat and Aisha Greyrat are genuinely strong. They are worthy of being relied on."

Nanahoshi drained her cup and stood up.

One hand on her hip, pointing at me like she'd just won a court case.

"See! Even Orsted says so!"

"Heh. That's still two votes each."

"Orsted is way stronger than you, so he counts as three votes! That's four against two!"

"Ha? By that logic, Orsted's one vote could be a hundred to one."

"Then it's a hundred and one to two!"

"There's just no talking to you..."

-------

After that, any pretense of agenda dissolved. It turned into a proper drinking party.

Ever since Nanahoshi became dragonfolk, she'd gotten noticeably more open.

Partly because of Cliff, and partly because of my wives, I think.

Whenever my wives came up, Nanahoshi would scold me, telling me I always made such wonderful women worry.

She wasn't wrong. That's something I should genuinely reflect on.

But after the decisive battle, there really isn't much left for them to worry about.

When Cliff got drunk, he talked about his wife.

His eyes were full of nothing but warmth. So was his smile.

...

By the end of the night, Nanahoshi and Cliff had their arms draped over my shoulders, belting out some song from who-knows-where.

Completely different songs.

Cliff was probably singing a Milis folk song.

Nanahoshi was singing in Japanese.

Caught between them, I could only suffer.

Orsted watched the three of us with a quiet smile, like he was watching a very entertaining circus act.

--------

I used the teleportation circle to send Cliff back to the Holy Country of Milis and delivered him safely into his wife's hands.

She thanked me. I left.

Nanahoshi's new body handled the alcohol better than before, one of the perks of becoming dragonfolk.

"Do you want to sleep in the lab?"

"Mm... don't want to... the sofa's too hard..."

"You should've replaced that sofa ages ago. It's not like you're short on money."

"Carry me back to my room... Rudeus..."

"Fine."

I hoisted Nanahoshi onto my back and turned to Orsted.

"I'll head out then."

"Mm. Be careful."

"You've picked up that kind of line, have you."

I said goodbye to Orsted and carried Nanahoshi down the path to her dorm.

Whoa.

She'd gotten heavier since becoming dragonfolk.

Looked like she was pretty happy in this body. She was definitely eating more.

She didn't say a word the whole way. She'd fallen asleep.

I pushed open her dorm room door, laid her down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over her.

"I'm off."

"Mm... thanks... Rudeus..."

"Don't thank me for something like this."

------

Home.

Everyone except Eris was still awake.

Even my daughters.

"What are you all still doing up?"

"Waiting for our husband to come home~" x3

"Waiting for Papa!" x3

After that, I got the full treatment.

Hot bath. Hair dried. A bowl of freshly made sobering soup, still steaming.

We sat and talked for a while, and the topic drifted to what Nanahoshi had raised earlier.

My wives all said they understood. They'd just vented to Nanahoshi a little, asked her to give me a nudge.

Mm-hm.

Still. A night like this, at this point in the evening.

I knew exactly what was on their minds.

"Papa, I'm taking my sisters to bed now..."

"Alright."

Windsor led her two younger sisters off to sleep.

The atmosphere shifted, right on cue.

As for my beloveds' provocations,

I wasn't worried in the slightest.

After all, with Eris not here, I had never once gone all out.

"Then I hope my wives won't be the ones surrendering tonight."

➤ Next: Windsor's Request — Face to Face