mushoku tensei: unplanned reincarnation

I stood there, looking at the unconscious girl's body, not really sure what to do. The silence was only broken when I heard my parents' voices.

"Rudy, what happened?" asked Zenith, coming to my side, her face full of concern.

"Who is... hm... a girl?" my father said when he saw her.

"Huh?"

He furrowed his brow when he noticed her hair, but then relaxed.

'Is there some kind of taboo about hair in this world?'

From their reactions, it didn't seem like they knew her. But as I watched her, her body started to move.

"Ngh... is it morning already?"

She rubbed her eyes and looked around, confused. However, after a few seconds, her expression became even more perplexed.

"Hey, who are you?" I approached, and she stared at me.

She looked at me for a moment before looking down at my hand.

"Oh, this? Well, I was worried that if you woke up, you might try to attack again."

I had grabbed her staff. I won't lie, I did it more out of curiosity than fear of an attack. I'd never seen a staff in my life.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I..." In the middle of her sentence, she stopped talking and fixed her gaze on something. Her face showed a new sign of shock.

I followed her gaze and saw Sylphie there. When I looked back at her, I noticed her expression had intensified for a moment, but after a few seconds, she regained her composure.

"Well, could you explain yourself?" my mother asked, addressing the mage.

"Eh? Well..." The girl adjusted her hat, took a deep breath, and then replied in a calm and controlled tone.

"My name is Roxy Migurdia. Nice to meet you." Her gaze briefly went over each of us.

"Oh, you're the private tutor?" Zenith asked.

Hearing that, my attention turned to her clothes and her hat, then to the staff in my hand. Maybe she was qualified for the job... disregarding her height. Well, I guess she could teach.

"So, who's my..." As she spoke, she looked at me and suddenly widened her eyes.

"Ah! It's you!"

'Yes, it's me. What about me?'

"Were you the one who used magic to knock down my staff?"

I looked at her and nodded.

When I looked back at her, I noticed her smile was somewhat forced. Her face showed silent shock, her eyes wide as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. But soon, she regained her composure.

"Oh, right."

After a few seconds of silence, staring into space, she looked back at me.

"You don't normally use incantations, do you?"

"No, I don't. And honestly, I don't even think they should be allowed. Why should someone announce the name of their own attack? It doesn't make sense! You lose the element of surprise! And doesn't anyone feel embarrassed shouting those names out loud? Argh, I..."

What started as an answer turned into a rant. Now that I think about it, since I reincarnated, maybe I've developed a habit of overthinking... and talking too much.

"Hm, right..." She put her hand to her chin, thoughtful. "Magic without incantations is known to be possible, but extremely difficult. So far, I've only met one person who could actually do it."

After saying that, she extended her hand in a subtle gesture.

I looked at her hand for a moment before remembering the staff. Without saying anything, I handed it back to her.

She took it naturally, but seemed to still be reflecting on what she had just witnessed.

"But after using magic, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm always feeling fine." After all, I'm a man. I have to keep up appearances in these situations.

"I see. Right, your display really surprised me."

"Thank you."

Finally, Roxy gave a genuine smile.

After that, she went into the house with my parents, and I was left there with Sylphie.

She was looking at me, scratching the back of her ear, with a somewhat forced smile.

"Hmmm... shall we go inside then?" I pointed toward the door.

But her reaction was to shake her head.

"Maybe my dad will come later, so I'll wait here." She looked down.

I looked at her, wondering why this sudden behavior, then remembered: Sylphie was still pretty shy. Plus, she had been greeted by a shout from someone she didn't know. She was still a child—of course, she'd be scared.

But how should I handle this?

I couldn't just leave and leave her alone; that was out of the question. Maybe if I stayed around, she'd feel a little better.

"Ah... I see." I gave a slight nod. "So, do you want me to stay here with you until he arrives?"

Sylphie looked up at me, surprised.

"No need, I can wait alone..." She said that, but her tone didn't sound very confident.

"Well, I don't have much to do now, so it's fine." I shrugged and sat down on the grass.

She hesitated for a moment but soon sat down beside me. We sat in silence for a while, just listening to the wind rustling through the trees.

"Hey, Sylphie."

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think the new teacher is scary?"

She blinked a few times, thoughtful.

"I don't know... she seemed serious, but... she doesn't seem bad."

"Yeah, I also think she doesn't seem bad." I crossed my arms, reflecting. "Putting her height aside, she's clearly as tall as a ladder... without the steps."

Sylphie looked at me for a moment before letting out a muffled laugh.

"It's not funny, okay? I was just thinking that if she stood on her tiptoes, she'd still need a stool to reach the ceiling."

She laughed again, and seeing Sylphie relaxing a little gave me some relief.

Maybe, even without realizing it, I was starting to understand how to deal with her.

And having the teacher with me will definitely improve my teaching to her. I want her to grow up and say that I was the teacher who taught her everything and be proud of me.

'Maybe this is how a father feels?'

With that thought, I started wondering. I always treat Sylphie like a child, but will she ever see all this differently? She'll grow up, of course, but will she remember me as someone important? Or, over time, will she start to find me annoying or even distance herself?

I wasn't exactly sure how to feel about that. I treated her with so much care, but... would it last?

As I got lost in those thoughts, I heard a sound behind me. I quickly turned around, and there was Roxy, looking down at me.

"White..." I muttered, unable to control my reaction. What I was seeing was paradise.

Hearing my murmur, Roxy looked at me with a confused expression, clearly not understanding what I meant.

I stood up and looked at Sylphie beside me, giving a subtle wave in her direction. She looked at me with a lost look, not understanding what I was trying to say. I gave another wave, blinking my right eye, but she still didn't get the message.

I sighed softly and, looking at Roxy and Sylphie, decided to clarify.

"This is Sylphiette, but I call her Sylphie." Then, I looked back at Roxy with a slight smile. "And this is Roxy Migurdia, my teacher. I'm sure you've heard her name, so I guess it doesn't matter, right?"

I looked at Roxy, and after a moment, she responded with a soft smile.

"I see. So, you two already have a good rapport." Roxy paused, raising an eyebrow. "But don't make me sound like an old acquaintance, Rudeus."

Sylphie looked at Roxy, then at me, with a look asking for permission. I gave a nod.

"P-pleased to meet you," Sylphie said, extending her hand, a little hesitant.

Roxy watched Sylphie's hand for a moment, then mimicked the gesture, extending hers. They shook hands, with Sylphie still a little shy, but smiling faintly.

"Well, how about—" I was about to say something when I heard the sound of boots approaching. I looked back and saw Laws, Sylphie's father, arriving.

Laws approached, saw Sylphie, and smiled.

"Ah, here you are," he said, extending his hand to her.

Sylphie, with a shy smile, took his hand.

"Hi, daddy."

When he saw Roxy, he gave a quick nod. And didn't say anything else, focusing on Sylphie.

"Let's go, your mother is getting quite worried about you."

"But..." She looked at me, reluctant.

"Hey, Sylphie, how about you try doing what I did? If you succeed, I'll surprise you tomorrow."

"Okay... Bye Rudy," she said, smiling, still a little reluctant, but with a genuine smile.

"See you tomorrow!" I replied, shouting to her as I waved my arms.

Laws nodded and began to walk away with Sylphie, who looked back, a bit hesitant. I watched them walk away, wondering if she was okay with her father.

I sighed and then turned my attention back to Roxy.

Roxy was looking at where Laws and Sylphie were going before turning her attention back to me.

"Well, now that we're alone, let's start talking about magic," she said, taking a more serious tone.

"Let's start with what you know."

"Well, what I know about magic is this: it all starts with mana. It's the energy that permeates everything but has no defined form. To cast a spell, you need to feel that energy, control it, and direct it with precision. For example, when I try to create water, I focus on imagining its flow, its weight, and the cool feeling it brings. Without a clear image in my mind, the magic doesn't manifest correctly. I've learned that the foundation of any spell is mastering this energy; without that, nothing works."

"Oh, and I also remembered that smaller spells consume more mana. What I've noticed is that small spells seem to use a disproportionate amount of energy. It's like the incantation works as a macro—it executes a command that releases a spell with pre-determined power. If you want to modify that spell, adjusting what's already 'programmed,' you need to spend extra mana to change the result. The smaller the spell, the more precise it needs to be, and every little modification ends up costing a lot of energy. Basically, the incantation provides a base power, and if you try to change it, you risk wasting your mana."

At the end of my reasoning, Roxy nodded slowly, furrowing her brow as she looked at the sky, thoughtful. She stayed like that for a moment, then turned to me and crossed her arms.

"Well... this whole macro thing I didn't get. And this theory that smaller spells use more mana..." She narrowed her eyes, hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Yeah, that's how they work."

The way she looked at me... she seemed like she was trying to fit that into what she already knew.

I thought about it for a moment. Since I started studying magic, I realized that some things weren't explained in the books. I had to observe, test, and draw my own conclusions. But Roxy learned differently. She had teachers, studied established methods, followed a pre-charted path. Maybe that's why she hesitated. What I said wasn't in her books.

'She's just holding on to what she's already learned.'

Well, that makes sense. She spent her whole life believing things worked one way. Now, a three-year-old kid was suggesting something different. If I were in her place, I'd hesitate too.

But... what if I'm right? Or maybe I'm wrong? Well, I don't know.

I looked at her and wondered how I'd make her stop clinging so much to what she already believes. Maybe even her shock with Sylphie had something to do with this.

'I already know my teacher is a stubborn person.'

Even so, it wouldn't help to insist on it now. If there's one thing I learned in my past life, it's that some people need time to change their minds.

"Anyway," she said, uncrossing her arms and pointing at me, "let's continue. I want to see how far you can go without enchantments."

"Ah, so we're finally going to train for real?"

"Yes. But first, I want to test your mana capacity."

Great. I was looking forward to that.

After that, she started teaching me until late in the afternoon. During the training, we reviewed the fundamentals of magic, including mana control, spell formation, and the importance of enchantments. Roxy explained the different magical schools, from basic elemental spells to advanced-level ones. We also discussed the theory behind silent enchantment. Although most of what she said already made sense to me, it was interesting to hear the perspective of an experienced mage.

When the lesson ended, it was time for my sword training with my father.

The training with my father was... intense, as always. He had me repeat the same basic strikes over and over, correcting my posture and demanding more speed in my movements. Paul was fast and precise, and I could barely keep up with his attacks.

But, no matter how hard I tried, it didn't excite me as much as magic did. I understood the importance of learning to defend myself, but swinging a sword back and forth didn't have the same allure as casting spells.

Besides, no matter how much he explained the techniques, I felt like nothing really made sense to me. My body just couldn't keep up with what he wanted me to do. In the end, I was sweaty, tired, and almost clueless.

And so, another day of training came to an end.

The next day, I woke up very early, not by choice, but because of the noise that pulled me out of my sleep.

"Ah... Nnh... Haa..."

They had already been up for quite a while, and the sounds kept echoing through the house. Among them, I could hear a male voice saying:

"I'm just warming up."

If I didn't know exactly who was involved in this situation, I might have had a different reaction. But knowing... well, I just had to try to ignore it.

With that in mind, I decided to leave the room, and as I passed through the hallway, I noticed the sounds had stopped. A slight smile formed on my face, and I then went downstairs.

When I got downstairs, I looked around and saw Roxy, still groggy, sitting at the table, with her head resting on the table, sleeping.

'She'll have to get used to those sounds.'

I walked to the kitchen and saw Lilia already preparing something for breakfast.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Rudeus," she replied, not taking her eyes off the food.

Then, I went back to where the sleepy girl was and stopped, observing her more closely.

Her fair and smooth skin seemed to glow in the soft morning light, and her blue hair was disheveled, falling awkwardly over the table.

As I watched her, she began to stir, her eyes still half-clouded by sleepiness. She looked around, adjusting herself in the chair, then stared at me, her eyes now wide open.

Roxy looked at me, still sleepy, and said in a groggy voice:

"Good morning, Rudeus..."

"Good morning" I replied with my best smile, which was gently interrupted when I heard the sounds again.

"Nnh... Haaa..."

Hearing that, Roxy intensified her gaze toward me, and then her face began to turn red. She was certainly embarrassed by hearing those sounds.

I thought for a moment and decided to make a move.

"How about this? Next time we eat, it'll be in a quiet place, how about that?"

And the game is decided.

But Roxy looked at me confused and said, "I guess so…" and sighed.

'What kind of reaction is that?'

I don't want to brag, but it was a pretty cool thing to say, you know?

After that, Lilia arrived with the food, placing the dishes on the table with the same calm as always. The pleasant smell of breakfast spread throughout the room, but what caught my attention was the silence.

The sounds had stopped.

Roxy let out another quiet sigh and grabbed her utensils, still looking a bit sleepy. As for me, satisfied with how the conversation had gone… or maybe not going anywhere at all, I just started eating.

Breakfast went on peacefully, without more words exchanged. Maybe there was nothing more to say. Anyway, it was just another normal day… or as normal as my life could be.

Soon enough, we'd return to training. It was just another day, but for some reason, it felt like it was going to be a long one.