Mushoku Tensei:The Successor Arc

"Lug, why are you just standing there? Sit."

I ushered my new recruit to a seat in the tavern. We needed to clarify our mutual goals, after all.

"Yes, Boss!"

He gave me a military salute, then quickly sat down, hands placed flat on his lap, staring at me without even blinking.

"N-no, you don't have to... Just call me Lara."

"Understood, Boss Lara!"

I gave up on correcting him.

"Here, take a look at the menu and order whatever you like. I'll cover all our expenses on the road... Money isn't an issue."

I handed him the menu, mostly just hoping he'd stop staring at me. It was making me afraid to even move.

"Yes, Boss Lara!"

"The title... No, at least you don't need to salute me. Let's be clear about our relationship. We're traveling companions in a cooperative relationship, right?"

"Rest assured, Boss. I'll follow your every order."

"No, no, no, think about it. You just gave me a thorough beating. You shouldn't be willing to take orders from an opponent you just defeated, right?"

"Then let's fight again. I won't fight back this time—"

"No, that's not what I meant..."

Why did his attitude toward me do a complete one-eighty? Did I do something?

I didn't do anything on the way here... I just had him book an inn for us.

Before that, his attitude was lukewarm at best, but after he came back from booking the room, he became like this.

Did the Man-God mess with his brain or something? Ugh, I can't figure it out.

"Um... Lug, why do you call me 'Boss'?"

If I wanted to get any sleep tonight, I had to figure this out.

"A great savior such as yourself..."

"Spare me the flattery," I cut him off, my face blank. Don't even think about trying a low-level trick like bluffing on me. That's like trying to teach a fish how to swim.

"Alright. The truth is—"

...Mmm... I see. So the reason was the bit of money I casually gave him to book the inn.

According to him, that amount of money could directly "buy" a lone adventurer of his level.

Huh... he's a bit too cheap, isn't he? No, that's not it. This is the frontier of the Demon Continent. The economy is in the gutter, and as a human-looking guy, he's ostracized.

I don't really have any concept of money. If I had to put a value on it, the price of the divination crystal ball Dad bought me back then could probably buy this entire city.

But Dad didn't even blink an eye back then, so I didn't think much of it either.

I've never been short on money during my years of travel. Is there really anyone in the world who's short on money?

Surely not, right? Surely not?

(Hehe. Don't worry, I won't laugh at you.)

...After all, my funding is provided by a certain fat dragon. Thanks to that, I'm pretty clueless when it comes to money.

So that's how it is. Money can determine one's status. But it's impossible for me to be short on money; divination can easily predict what will rise in price and what's valuable.

I've even decided that after defeating the Man-God, I'll get into business, make a huge profit, and then just laze around... Well, I can fantasize about that later. If I ever need a massive sum, I can just make a "withdrawal" from Orsted.

I've never cared about it.

...It seems people from the bottom, like Lug, place a bit too much importance on money.

Even with his outstanding talent and abilities, he can't escape worldly conventions.

Speaking of talent—

"Lug, do you have any memory, even a sliver, of the person who taught you Disturb Magic?"

Not many people know Disturb Magic; most were taught by my father. Orsted is way too stingy with his mana to teach anyone else.

"No. I researched it myself after someone used it on me."

"Who used it on you?" Orsted?

"I forgot."

He really forgot completely.

"However..." He put on a thinking face...

"When I was researching how to replicate Disturb Magic, I think there was a girl lying next to me..."

So you're quite the ladies' man, huh.

"Remember her name?"

"Forgot..."

Whatever. It'd be strange if he could remember that easily.

..."Anyway, let's talk about our immediate goal—"

I suddenly stopped.

"What is it, Boss Lara?"

"These dishes you ordered..."

"Did I order too much?" A worried look appeared on his face—no, don't make that face, we really aren't short on money.

"No... it's just, do you have a sweet tooth?"

"Not particularly..."

"Then why did you order all sweets?" Everything on the table was a dessert.

"I had a 'feeling' you might like sweets."

"'A 'feeling,' you say..." I narrowed my eyes.

I do like sweets, but not to the extent that it would leave such a strong impression on someone. Could he have met Momma Roxy?

If he knows her, that narrows down the search considerably. I decided to test him.

"Have you ever heard the name—'Roxy'?"

For the first time, he didn't immediately say he had no impression. Instead, he fell into deep thought. His brows were furrowed as if he was contemplating something, but he didn't speak.

It was probably around the time I finished my second sweet roll—

"Excuse me, is 'Roxy' some kind of religion?" His tone was very hesitant and uncertain.

"No."

"Sorry, I can't quite remember."

I still couldn't figure out his past. Right, how old is he, anyway? It's impossible for him to have known Momma Roxy. It's probably more reliable to use divination later.

"Well then, let me explain our objective for the near future."

"Yes, sir!"

"No... just keep eating... you don't have to be so formal."

I sighed and then began to organize my thoughts.

"You should know that I am the Savior. My goal is to rewrite the future. To do that, I need to guide the Fates of as many people as possible in the same direction... Because of this, I can 'see' Fate to a certain extent, and by combining it with divination, I can achieve something close to premonition."

He looked a bit puzzled.

"If you have any questions, ask. If not, I'll continue."

"Um... can this divination be used for things like gambling?"

See! See! Now that's what I call having an aptitude for this! I think I'm starting to like his personality.

"Why do you think I'm never short on money?"

"I see." Not bad at all. He immediately thought of the correct use for divination. He's my kind of guy.

"Good. Moving on. Lug, your Fate is exceptionally strong. Therefore, I don't really care if you're willing to help me in the future, but I hope that your Fate at least doesn't develop in a way that hinders me. So, in order to avoid..."

"Avoid what?"

I paused for a moment, staring at him for a good thirty seconds, but saw nothing unusual. Then, I probed a little.

"Have you... ever heard the word—'Man-God' hitokami?"

A look of confusion appeared in his eyes.

I was overthinking it. If you think about it, if he were an apostle of the Man-God, he should have killed me back then. With his immense power of Fate, it wouldn't be impossible to snuff out the Savior, even one who has already been born.

In other words, he's a majorly unstable factor. He could influence the final battle in the future.

"I will try to help you regain your memories. In return, if you happen to dream of a guy who calls himself a god, please do not trust him and inform me immediately."

"In a dream?"

"You'll understand when you encounter him. That guy has an ability to make people trust him easily, and he plays with the Fates of others as he pleases. But your Fate is strong, so it probably won't be that easy for him to manipulate you."

"Understood."

I nodded. He's a quick study. I thought he wouldn't understand at all and I'd have to spend ages explaining.

...I fell silent for a bit to give him time to digest the information.

"Is the strength of one's Fate important?"

He seemed a little curious about the power of Fate. After all, most people only have a half-baked understanding of it.

"Fate determines the future, and those with strong Fate have the right to rewrite it. The fact that I am the 'Savior' is an established future, and it's based on a powerful Fate."

"Then, can the Savior's future also be rewritten?" A dangerous hypothesis, but his mind certainly works fast.

"Theoretically, even I could be killed by another person with a strong Fate. ...You are one of them."

"Am I that amazing?" Lug took a huge, surprised bite out of his roll.

"Among all the people I know, your power of Fate ranks in the top five, maybe even the top three."

Fate fluctuates, so a definitive ranking is impossible, but he's definitely in the 'exceptionally strong' category.

"I'm a little curious who the other four are."

"The Man-God, the Dragon God, and my father."

"One, two, three... who's the last one?" He was actually counting on his fingers.

"The one sitting in front of you."

Did this guy seriously forget to count me?

A look of dawning realization crossed his face, and then he glanced at himself strangely.

"I feel like I'm the only small fry here."

"People with strong Fate always have something special about them. Maybe you'll become a very powerful being in the future, or perhaps you have some important mission."

Lug wore a puzzled expression. I feel like he's underestimating himself a bit too much.

Just based on his talent in swordsmanship alone, he's no simpleton. And the way he used magic so decisively during our fight... this guy can't be a nobody.

Suddenly, I became interested in his identity before he lost his memories. Hmm, after getting to know him for a few days, I should be able to figure it out with divination.

It's just... for a Fate this powerful to be born, there must be a mission and a meaning.

What is his mission?

I'm a little curious. Once I have the time and energy later, I'll use a grand divination circle to find out.