Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and Romance!

Rigail City was enormous.

As a key hub for trade with the northern nations, its advantageous position at the edge of the Red Dragon Mountains' Upper Jaw made it one of the Asura Kingdom's major export gateways. Villagers from the surrounding areas arrived day and night by caravan, hauling in crops and handmade goods.

It was a microcosm of the Asura Kingdom's bustling, commerce-driven economy.

Thanks to that, even though Rigail was technically a remote border city, its scale far exceeded that of the Magic City Sharia.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Allen looked up at the towering city walls with quiet awe.

One of the stops along the Asura Kingdom's succession war route in the original story… It's even bigger than I imagined. Probably a fourth the size of the royal capital.

"Allen!"

He looked down, brushing aside the stray ahoge that flopped into his vision, and met Roxy's upturned face.

Perhaps it was the glow of the evening light, but her cheeks looked flushed—like a ripened apple.

"The journey must've been exhausting... D-Do you want to rest here in Rigail for the night? Honestly—you're unbelievable. Last night, I just said I was a little hungry in the middle of the night, and you actually went out, hunted down two magic beasts, came back and cooked them... You didn't even sleep! We could've just arrived today..."

Her eyes darted left and right, refusing to meet his gaze even though she was looking up at him.

Allen smiled.

"No need. I'm heading back now. We got pretty lucky—didn't run into any bandits at all."

Roxy blinked, her gaze following him closely.

"You're heading back... tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll go overnight. It's already been more than ten days. Uncle's probably worried."

"...I see."

Watching her fidget and shift awkwardly, Allen couldn't help but reach out and flick the stray hair atop her head. She rolled her eyes and batted his hand away.

Cute.

It was worth mentioning that over the past ten or so days, the two of them had eaten, traveled, and camped together nonstop. Their relationship had rapidly grown closer, shedding the formality and faint distance that had once lingered between them.

Now, they could talk freely without worrying about formalities. Allen could even tease her after her occasional clumsy moments without triggering the usual stern "senior instructor" aura.

Ordinarily, when a man and woman suddenly spend time alone together, learning each other's quirks and routines up close, it tends to break the illusion and dull the appeal. But Allen didn't feel that at all. If anything, this version of Roxy—the "blue mom"—felt more real than ever.

When teased, she'd puff out her cheeks in mock anger.

If the grilled meat was too hot, she'd try to stuff it in anyway, tearing up and puffing her lips.

If she tried to put on the airs of a teacher, Allen would poke holes in her act until she sputtered in flustered defeat.

When she had to go relieve herself or came back from a bath, her cheeks would be red and she'd ignore Allen for a while.

And every morning, half-asleep, she'd expertly braid her sky-blue twin braids with practiced fingers.

Thoughts spun wildly through his mind. Moment after moment flickered across his memory—no two the same—but they all shared one truth:

This wasn't some paper-thin character from a novel.

She was a "goddess" fallen to earth, full of human warmth and imperfection.

Realizing he'd been lost in thought, Allen snapped back to the present and waved a hand in front of Roxy's face.

"Alright. Time to say goodbye again."

Roxy blinked, startled. After a brief pause, she gave a small nod and raised her hand to wave instinctively.

"...Goodbye."

Before she could lower her hand, Allen clapped his palm against it with a grin.

Startled, Roxy looked up.

Allen's palm stayed there, giving her hand a few light taps as he smiled.

"I'm not very good with farewells. So let's just say… see you in the future~"

Then he let go, waving once as he turned around. His pocket was bulging—Roxy had saved some food for him before parting.

"Don't worry about my meals. I did survive in the wild for ages before this, remember? I'm off~"

Roxy watched his retreating figure, then lowered her gaze to the hand he had tapped.

The sun's last light gilded her fingers in a soft golden halo. She curled her hand slightly, then slowly smiled, lifting her head again to call out.

But before she could speak, Allen had already disappeared into the crowd.

As if he'd sensed her gaze, he raised his hand and waved one more time without turning back.

And then he was gone from view.

Roxy blinked, confusion stirring faintly in her eyes.

"...Why did it feel like Allen was in such a rush...?"

"Almost like he had... something urgent to deal with."

...

Midnight.

Mountain winds rustled the forest, sweeping leaves across the narrow road at its edge. Moonlight streamed down, cool and pale.

A footstep shattered the moonlit silence. Someone had stopped.

Allen wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the fence by the roadside.

A deep notch was carved into the wood. Nearby, blackened ash and charred embers stretched across the grass in a splattered trail.

It was the spot where they'd made camp the night before, after he returned from hunting magic beasts—Roxy had doused the fire with [Water Ball].

Three hours had passed since he left Roxy at dusk. He'd been running almost the entire time.

He had returned to the place where he had hunted those beasts.

Allen's gaze shifted from the remnants of the fire to the forest beside the road.

"Finally... here."

The dark between the trees rippled like ink, thick and restless in the breeze. The moonlight touched the road, but couldn't pierce the shadow beneath the canopy.

Allen drew his blade and stepped into the forest.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the light behind him dimmed. The fallen leaves crackled underfoot, layered thick by the mountain winds. Trees flanked him on either side like mirror images, making it near impossible to gauge direction.

Battle aura pulsed through his limbs. Heightened senses kicked in—Allen's nose twitched, catching faint scents. He passed a tree, then his eyes lit up.

In the corner of his vision, one patch of fallen leaves looked thicker than the rest. Something pale peeked from beneath the layers.

A gust of wind parted the canopy. Moonlight spilled across the leaf-covered ground.

And there, beneath the silver light, a human arm was plainly visible.

Allen let out a short laugh and kicked the leaves aside.

Three middle-aged men with twisted, grotesque expressions lay beneath the tree.

Their eyes glared at him in unspoken fury—if looks could flay a man, they'd have had his skin.

Allen crouched, narrowing his eyes with a mocking smile.

"Tsk. If Rudeus were here, you guys probably would've scared the crap out of him. Seriously… still no one came looking for you? What a pathetic bunch."

The three corpses stared back, mouths frozen mid-scream.

Allen sighed, resting his chin on one hand in mock regret.

"I was in such a rush yesterday, I didn't even have time for a proper interrogation... So—where exactly is your pack of damn mutts holed up, huh?"

His question drifted on the air, caught and scattered by the wind in front of their lifeless faces.

No answer came.

Because corpses don't speak.