mushoku tensei: unplanned reincarnation

It had been a month since what happened with Lilia. Today, however, was a special day. And do you know why?

Today, I would leave the house on horseback for the first time.

"Darling, take good care of Rudy, okay?" Zenith said in a loving tone, giving a brief kiss to her husband, Paul. He would be my companion on this little journey.

"So, Rudy, are we ready to go?" Paul asked, as he picked me up and placed me in front of the saddle.

I waved slightly at my mother, who raised her arms in a warm gesture of farewell.

"Caravaggio, take good care of us," my father murmured to the horse before we set off towards the vast plain I had often observed from a distance.

"Father, what's the name of the place we live in?" I asked, curious, while looking around.

The environment was clearly rural, with fields I tried to identify. Could it be hay? Or wheat?

"Buena Village," he answered calmly.

"I see… And where exactly are we located?" I pressed on, as I watched a small lake beneath the bridge we crossed.

"We're in the Fittoa region, in the Kingdom of Asura. More precisely, in the northern part of Fittoa, near the east-west corridor of the Red Wyrm Mountains."

"Hmmm… Father, do real dragons exist?"

'What would it be like to face one of those creatures? I wonder if dragon meat is tasty?'

"Of course they do! They're some of the most powerful monsters in this world. Who knows, maybe even I could defeat one?" he said, with a proud smile on his face.

"So... if a dragon appeared right now, what would your preparations be to defeat it? After all, their scales must be tough, right? How would you cut something that tough? Or do you know magic, like mom? Since she uses healing magic, you must have some sort of offensive magic, right?"

"Urgh..." My father made an expression like he hadn't heard half of what I said.

"And this sword you always carry around?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Hahaha! This is my prized sword! Using it against a dragon would be like cutting through stone. It's the best weapon anyone can have!" He was clearly too proud of it.

As we rode along, we kept talking about everything that sparked my curiosity. At the same time, I enjoyed admiring the landscape around us.

Every now and then, we passed some people who greeted us with friendly smiles. Some women, especially, waved at Paul with a somewhat exaggerated enthusiasm.

Soon, the sky began to darken. Heavy clouds gathered above us, signaling the imminent arrival of rain. I couldn't tell if they had appeared suddenly or if I had just noticed them now.

"Father, where are we going? I think we're going to end up getting wet."

"You see that house up ahead? We're going to visit a friend of mine, Laws," he said, pointing to a building in the distance.

'Friends, huh...' I thought about it for a moment, as images of two people popped into my mind.

The house we were heading to was quite simple. In fact, simple might even be an understatement. All the houses we passed by seemed smaller than ours.

When we arrived, I noticed a woman with long brown hair kneeling at the entrance. She was petting the head of a child who seemed to be standing next to her.

'Long hair always makes women look beautiful, no matter the world,' I thought, observing the scene.

"Let's get off, Rudy," my father said, dismounting the horse before picking me up and setting me down on the ground.

"Ah, hello, Mr. Paul," the woman said, noticing our presence. The child, who had been with her, glanced at us quickly but then ran inside the house.

"I'm sorry, she's shy," the woman explained with a light smile.

"No problem. Where's Laws?" Paul asked casually.

"Oh, he forgot his bow at the watchtower. He should be back soon. Would you mind waiting for a moment?" she said.

"Of course, no rush. Leila, could you bring me a glass of water? My throat's dry."

She nodded politely and went into the house.

'Certainly, my father is a laid-back man.'

I took the opportunity to explore the area around the house. The grass seemed... well, just like grass. There were few trees close to the house, but looking further, I could see a dense forest stretching out on the horizon.

'What kind of monsters might inhabit that place? Do insect monsters exist? I've never been fond of insects, especially cockroaches. What if there was a cockroach monster? Urgh... I would definitely run away if I saw one.'

"Here's your water," Leila said, returning with the glass in her hands.

I hadn't realized she had already come back.

"Thanks," my father said, nodding slightly as a sign of appreciation.

"Sshhhhh...shhh."

At that moment, the sound of the first raindrops started to fall.

"It looks like the rain's not going to take much longer," my father commented, looking up as he held the glass of water. He took a quick sip, as if trying to avoid getting soaked later.

"I hope Laws comes back soon, or we'll be stuck here for a while."

Leila, with a slightly worried look, approached the door of the house.

"You can wait inside. It wouldn't be good if you got wet."

"Oh, thank you," my father said, already stepping inside.

"Thank you" I added, I'm a polite man!

She gave a brief nod and led us to the table before heading toward what could be the bedroom.

The inside of the house was as modest as the outside.

"Hey, Sylphiette, say hi to our guests."

'So, the shy child's name is Sylphiette.'

As I heard footsteps approaching, I looked toward the sound and was surprised, maybe even a bit shocked.

"An elf..." I murmured softly, more to myself than anyone else.

She looked in our direction, then at her mother, and turned her gaze back to us.

"Hello" she said, waving shyly with her right hand.

"So, this is little Sylphiette that Laws talks so much about," my father commented, waving toward her.

'So, elves really do exist... And that green hair? Isn't that typical of elves? Leila mentioned a bow, so maybe they're like the elves I've seen in anime and light novels. I wonder what her father is like. He must be an elf with long green hair, and a face that would even make Paul jealous.'

"Hey, Rudy, say hi" my father said, shaking my shoulder slightly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Ah, hi."

Well, that was a rather awkward introduction, wasn't it? Wait... I haven't properly introduced myself to Leila yet. Let's fix that.

"Hello, my name is Rudeus Greyrat." Now that was a proper introduction.

"How polite. How old are you?" Leila asked with a kind smile.

"I'm two years old. And how old is little Sylphiette?" The moment I mentioned her name, she hid behind her mother, while Leila raised an eyebrow, perhaps amused by the "little" comment.

"Come on, tell them how old you are" Leila said, stepping aside, exposing the shy girl again.

"I'm two years old... And you're small too" Sylphiette replied quickly, before hiding again behind her mother.

"..." She's right. I'm still a small man.

After that, Leila mentioned she would prepare lunch, and Sylphiette returned to the bedroom, leaving me and my father to chat while the rain fell. A few minutes later, Laws arrived.

"Oh, Paul, what are you doing here? And this child? From the face, I presume it's Rudeus?" he said, taking the bow off his hip and placing it on the nearby table, grabbing a cloth to dry his wet hair.

He wasn't the man I imagined, but he was still incredibly handsome. His pointed ears and almost glowing blonde hair gave him an elegant air. Slim and with defined muscles, he looked like he had stepped straight out of a painting.

"Laws, I wanted to ask you a favor."

'You didn't say you were coming to visit a friend?'

"Hm, we'll talk about that later. Let me change clothes," he said, walking over to Leila, who looked at him with tenderness.

"Welcome back–" her sentence was interrupted by a small body running past her and hugging Laws.

"Dad."

After that, Laws spoke briefly with his family before going to change clothes, while Sylphiette smiled and helped her mother with lunch. The rain, now, began to let up. I found myself staring at the gray sky. Sometimes, looking at the rain reminded me of that day.

I let out a quiet sigh. Watching the rain wasn't bringing back good memories.

"Hey, Rudy, are you bored? How about playing with Sylphiette?" my dad asked, noticing my distant look.

"Huh?" Maybe he thought I was bored. "Ah, no, I'm—"

"Come on, don't be shy. If you keep this up, you'll never get a girlfriend" he said, pushing me toward Sylphiette.

'What is this guy talking about?'

As I walked toward Sylphiette, I saw Laws coming out of the room and heading toward Paul. It seemed like he didn't want me to hear what he was about to say.

"Ah, Rudy, want to help with the food prep?" Leila asked, noticing my approach.

'Hey, lady, you're talking to the man who loves to cook. Well, at least in my previous world. I haven't done anything in this world because... well, I haven't had the chance. I've spent so much time reading. But this is the perfect opportunity. The food here isn't as good as in my old world. I could make something truly—'

"Rudeus?"

"What?" I got lost in my thoughts again and didn't even realize Leila was calling me.

"Ah, yes, I can help."

"How about you and Sylphiette help me cut the vegetables first?"

'Are you really giving a knife to a kid? What if she cuts herself?'

The preparation wasn't anything extraordinary. We just cut some herbs and roots — or were they tubers? Some of the ingredients were strange, so I won't blame myself for not knowing. Sylphiette, as shy as she was, only said short sentences.

But something was bothering me. She was different from her parents. Her hair was green, her ears were longer than her father's, and her eyes were a deep red.

I didn't want to assume anything, but given those differences, I could only draw two conclusions: either she was adopted, or... with the terms from my old world, this could only mean one thing.

NTR.

'But is it possible that a woman would cheat on a man like that? I'm not on that side, but I have to admit he was a handsome man. Maybe, in a place without so many distractions like TV, people get bored or even—'

"Ah!"

The sound of the knife slipping and cutting my skin was followed by a surprised shout. Blood started to flow quickly, and my heart raced. For a second, I thought I was going to die—

Oops, I was exaggerating. It was just a small cut, nothing serious. If I used healing magic, it would heal in seconds, but I didn't want to do that here.

Leila looked at the cut on my finger and sighed with relief.

"Are you okay? Please, let me see."

I showed my finger, where a small drop of blood was slowly dripping. It wasn't serious, but it still bothered me.

"Sylphiette, take Rudy to the room and grab a piece of cloth from the shelf next to the bed. Use it to wrap his finger."

Sylphiette looked at her mother and then at me. Though hesitant, she nodded.

"Let's go..." she said softly, holding my hand gently to guide me to the room.

As she led me, she avoided direct eye contact, but would cast quick glances at my finger. It was clear she was worried, which made me realize she was an incredibly kind child.

"Does it hurt a lot?" she asked softly as we entered the room.

"It hurts a little, but it's fine. It was my fault for not paying attention while I was cutting."

I smiled lightly to reassure her, and I saw her lower her head for a moment, maybe a bit embarrassed, before grabbing the cloth from the shelf and gesturing for me to come closer.

"Please, give me your hand" she asked in a soft voice.

"Here you go" I responded, extending my hand.

As she wrapped the cloth around my finger, her gaze alternated between my face and the wound. I, on the other hand, pretended to be indifferent.

"It's nothing serious, I can even—AHHHHH!"

A scream escaped my mouth when I noticed something small but incredibly agile. My heart stopped for a second when I saw... a cockroach.

"W-what was that?" Sylphiette asked, alarmed.

"That!" I exclaimed, pointing with a trembling finger at the shelf.

"Ah, that" she said calmly, walking over to the shelf. To my complete astonishment, Sylphiette grabbed the cockroach with her hands, opened the window, and released it outside. Then, she turned to me with a satisfied smile. "I didn't know you were afraid of cockroaches."

'Look here, girl, that thing could fly, okay?'

"I'm not scared! It was just a surprise. I didn't expect to see something like that so suddenly. That's all."

"Hehe" she giggled softly, still wearing that smile.

"Urgh... Let's just go back already!"

As she walked in front of me, Sylphiette still wore that smile, clearly enjoying the situation.

When we got back, Leila and Laws asked what had happened, and, not wanting to admit what really happened, I replied, "Ah, it's just that Sylphiette accidentally squeezed my finger. It gave me a scare."

The rain had already stopped, and it seemed Paul had finished his conversation with Laws. It was time for us to leave. Leila insisted we stay for lunch, but Paul refused, saying he only ate food prepared by his wife.

Before we left, I turned to Sylphiette.

"So, from today we're friends. Come on, give me your hand"

"Like this?" she asked, raising her right hand.

"Yes, exactly. So, when I come back, we can play. See you!"

She raised her head, smiling excitedly, as her pointed ears twitched slightly.

With that, Paul and I headed toward our horse, Caravaggio, who was still wet from the rain. I was worried about it, but Paul mentioned that sometimes it's good to get wet to cool off.

'This guy isn't as responsible as I thought...'

But, thinking back, today was a memorable day. I met new people, saw different things, got my first little injury, and most importantly, made my first friend.

"I hope tomorrow is as blessed as today was"

A new question popped into my mind: do gods exist in this world?

'And... do goddesses exist too?