Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and Romance!

The Bartils flower was a common cash crop in the Asura Kingdom. Shaped like lavender with pale purple petals, it could be eaten raw and required only minimal cultivation effort. Thanks to its fragrance, it was typically processed into spices and shipped to the capital, where it would be made into perfumes and distributed across the kingdom.

Buena Village made its living mainly from wheat and Bartils flowers.

At the forest's edge, three figures—one tall and two small—moved through the dense sea of purple flowers.

"How much farther, Sylph?"

Sylphiette parted the blossoms beside her and glanced at Rudeus.

"The tower's pretty far from the village… still about an hour's walk."

Rudeus looked at her in surprise.

"That far? Why does your dad make you bring food then? Wouldn't it be easier to just cook something in the morning and take it with him?"

Sylphiette replied in a soft voice.

"Because the tower shift lasts five days, and there aren't enough people. Father stays the whole time… so it's hard to prepare that much food ahead."

"Ah, that explains why you brought a whole basket of bread. Is that a day's worth?"

Sylphiette nodded.

Behind them, Allen was absentmindedly plucking Bartils flower spikes swaying in the breeze, crushing them in his palm until only seeds remained in his hand. Without looking up, he asked:

"But that bread's probably inedible now, right? Is it okay for us to go empty-handed?"

Rudeus blinked, startled, and turned to Sylphiette with a guilty expression. She tilted her head back slightly, gazing at Allen with lashes fluttering in the wind.

"Father can go hunting. If the food gets dirty and there's no time to make more, he usually just does that. But if he's unlucky and can't find rabbits or anything nearby… then he might go hungry."

"I see."

Allen rolled the seeds in his palm and glanced toward the trees nearby.

"An hour's walk is plenty. Is the tower tall? Easy to recognize?"

Rudeus blinked again, unsure why Allen was asking, but answered honestly:

"My dad said it's about three meters high, surrounded by a monster-repelling net. Should be easy to spot."

Allen smiled, then came to a stop, looking at the confused younger pair in front of him.

"Then you two go ahead. There's still time—I'll go find some food."

...

One hour later, at the forest's edge.

Who's this handsome guy?

Rudeus stared blankly at the sharp-eared, golden-haired elf on the tower, stunned for a moment before remembering the apology he'd rehearsed.

"Hello, I came to apologize. We accidentally ruined Sylph's lunch… Please don't be mad at her."

At the top of the tower, Laws—Sylphiette's father—looked at Rudeus, then at the silently bowing Sylphiette. He didn't seem to mind whether the boy got the name right or not.

"Sylph, were you bullied again today?"

Sylph stiffened. Her voice trembled.

"No, Father… Someone helped me today. But I—I accidentally dirtied the lunch again. I'm sorry."

Laws sighed, his stern expression tinged with helplessness.

"Again, huh? Poor girl… Maybe it'd be better to have your mother deliver the meals from now on?"

"No—I can do it."

"Well then, if you get bullied again, promise me you'll tell Father, alright? No more lying that you dirtied the food yourself. Okay Luffy?"

"Okay."

Rudeus watched their exchange, blinking.

Luffy…? Can Sylph's arms stretch too? No wait—focus. So "Luffy" is a nickname. Sounds pretty affectionate.

Laws turned his gaze to Rudeus.

The boy gave a proper ninety-degree bow.

"Actually, it wasn't Sylph's fault. I—uh, I was helping and accidentally ruined the lunch. I'm sorry."

Allen still isn't back… Damn it. That guy totally saw this coming. Said he'd go find food, huh? Old fox. Still, since I'm his friend, guess I'll take the fall for him. Wait… so Paul isn't the only kid in the house anymore?

"You're a thoughtful bunch. No need to shoulder all the blame. I know it was those village kids throwing mud. Helping her was already kind enough. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ru—"

But before he could finish, Laws' expression darkened. He suddenly straightened, drawing a bow and loosing an arrow in one fluid motion.

The arrow shot like a meteor, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle toward the forest!

Then—silence.

The arrow vanished into the shadowy trees, swallowed without a sound, like a beast devouring prey.

Laws' face turned grim.

"Quick! Get back to the village and call the knight—!"

But he cut himself off, eyes widening in disbelief as he stared toward where the arrow disappeared.

Rudeus and Sylphiette followed his gaze.

A massive boar-shaped silhouette was slowly lumbering toward the tower.

Sylphiette instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth and turned to run, but Rudeus grabbed her arm. She glanced back in panic, only to see him giving her an odd, almost admiring look, gesturing with his chin.

She blinked, then looked again toward the shadow.

It wasn't a monster. Or—no, it was a monster.

But it wasn't alive.

A figure emerged from the forest, half-shrouded in dappled light and shadow, dragging the beast's enormous corpse by one tusk in one hand and holding an arrow in the other.

He stopped at the base of the tower beneath Sylphiette's wide-eyed stare.

"Since there's no bread, I figured we'd have pork for lunch."

Allen dropped the massive boar corpse in front of them like tossing out the trash, then casually handed the arrow back to a stunned Laws, who had jumped down from the tower.

Dusting off his hands, Allen grinned.

"Try a bite of my cooking."

...

Naturally, once Allen had made his flashy entrance, he sincerely asked Rudeus to help with starting the fire and summoning water via magic.

By the time the aroma of roast pork filled the air, an hour had passed.

Rudeus had used [Water Cannon] to thoroughly wash away the boar's blood, leaving the ground shimmering with clear ripples.

The four of them sat around a raised platform crafted from Earth Magic, complete with simple chairs and benches also made from dirt.

There was even a crude grill.

Though to be fair, it was Rudeus doing the real cooking—Allen just skewered, cut, and flipped the meat.

Rudeus didn't mind. It reminded him of a riverside BBQ, and he found himself thinking about his previous life. He'd never had friends to do something like this with back then—but here, in this strange new world, it had come true in a weird but satisfying way.

Even if his current friends were just kids, it still felt good.

"Didn't expect Bartils flower seeds to work as seasoning—this stuff's delicious~"

Rudeus let out a blissful sigh, while Laws, barely touching his food, kept studying Allen with growing admiration.

"So you're the one Paul mentioned—Rudeus's sword instructor. You're so young. I'm glad you've become friends with Sylph. I hope you'll continue to look out for her. And please… don't treat her differently because of her hair color. It's just a bit of atavism."

"Of course, Uncle. Sylphiette is our friend—always will be."

Sylphiette's ears twitched adorably at that. She looked up quietly at Allen. In front of her, meat slices were stacked into a little mountain on a leaf.

Allen glanced at Rudeus.

The latter was stuffing his face, clearly oblivious to the girl who'd one day become his first wife.

Allen sighed silently and added another piece of meat to Sylphiette's already overloaded plate.

Judging by Rudeus's reaction, he still doesn't realize Sylph's a girl, even though her hair's long. Guess there's no point trying to play matchmaker. Let it happen naturally—childhood friends and all.

In the story, Sylph's main role is to introduce Ariel and kickstart the Asura throne succession arc. She's adorable, sure, but kind of a narrative tool. Her other "contributions" are…

Uh, curing Rudeus's ED, ensuring he's physically ready for a harem, and quietly keeping the peace among his wives? She and the messiah child have nothing to do with each other. What a tragic fate for the childhood sweetheart.

Allen gave her another pitying glance and added another slice of pork to the mountain of meat.

Her eyes widened.

"A-Allen, I… I really can't eat anymore…"

"You can."

He raised an eyebrow. Sylphiette flinched and, cheeks puffed like a chipmunk, stuffed the meat in her mouth and stared at him with wide eyes.

I-I did it…

"Attagirl~"

Laws merely watched in silence, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Though, strictly speaking, only one of the four present was actually a child.

After the meal, Allen peeled off a patch of the boar's hide, giving the rest to Laws.

The trio returned to the earlier hilltop. By then, several children were already playing there. When they spotted Allen, one of the boys screamed in terror, and the group scattered like they'd seen a plague demon.

Allen strolled to a tree and casually carved a few words into the bark.

Territory of Rudeus, Sylphiette, and Allen

Entry Requirements:

Bow to Sylphiette three times.

— Allen

Pleased with his mischief, Allen turned to look at Rudeus—only to see the boy looking… off.

Rudeus clutched his stomach, face slightly green.

Allen glanced at Sylphiette. She was sweating profusely but tried to smile when she noticed his gaze.

Then she promptly collapsed.

"Sylph!"

Rudeus reached out to catch her, but as soon as he took a step, his legs gave out and he fell too.

Just before he passed out, he seemed to recall something. Looking at Allen, who was rushing to help Sylph rather than him, his mind replayed a recent exchange over the grilled meat:

"Bartils flower seeds are mildly toxic—they stimulate the tongue's pain receptors and work great as natural spice. You want detoxification? Eh, no need. It's fine. I eat them all the time—totally harmless for the body."

Totally harmless.

Rudeus rolled his eyes back and fainted.

...

The conclusion: thanks to Allen's "generous" seasoning, the two kids had ingested way too much Bartils flower seed powder—leading to acute poisoning.

Allen, who'd used his own adult-level tolerance as the benchmark, was now awkwardly watching as a furious Zenith rushed into the clinic.

I'm sorry, Zenith. Sorry, Roxy. I swear I didn't mean it. Wait… if Roxy finds out Bartils powder can cause fainting, she might think I'm using it for something weird… Yikes. Good thing I won't see her for a few years.

Zenith, flushed and dressed in a crisp white clinic uniform, gave him a sharp side-eye. But instead of the scolding Allen expected, she merely knocked her knuckles lightly on his forehead.

"Don't go feeding people unverified ingredients. If Bartils seeds were safe, they'd already be a common kitchen spice. You look mature, but deep down you're still a kid—so clumsy."

Clumsy my ass. You mean Paul, right?

The thirty-four-year-old child twitched at the corner of his mouth, noting Zenith had changed into a different skirt, pants, and even more casual boots.

Zenith gently touched the foreheads of the unconscious kids.

"Oh breath of the divine, source of healing—bring strength to the suffering."

"[Detoxification]!"

The moment she spoke, Rudeus and Sylphiette's faces brightened. Their long lashes fluttered as they drifted in peaceful sleep.

Allen stared at their lashes.

Then impulsively grabbed Zenith's hand.

She looked at him in surprise as he said solemnly,

"Please… don't tell Master Paul."

Zenith blinked, then looked behind him.

"But… he's right behind you."

Of course he is. This isn't about a magical tattoo…

Before he could finish the thought, a heavy whack landed on the back of his head.

Allen saw stars as he collapsed, catching a glimpse of Paul's retreating figure.

Come on, Paul! Was that really necessary?

As if in reply, Zenith's panicked voice rang out.

"Dear! What are you—?!"

In his dimming vision, Paul wrapped his arm firmly around his wife's waist.

"Relax. Allen's tough—he can take it. Just a light tap this time. Anyway, honey, about earlier—"

"You—! Don't move! Mrs. Solene is still outside. She's on shift today—"

"I sent her home."

Paul, you absolute beast… Doing a clinic-uniform play without inviting your bro. You're really something…

Darkness swallowed the entangled silhouettes of Paul and Zenith.

Allen's head lolled to the side as he blacked out—this time, unlike his pretend faint during his first encounter with Roxy, it was entirely genuine.

In the air above him, the misty system panel flickered into view, then slowly dispersed.

[Host's recent physical contact with Zenith detected. One minute prior: magical detoxification cast by Zenith—scanning...]

[Scan complete. Magic rune embedded: Intermediate Detoxification.]

[You've done pretty well so far~]

[Good night, Allen.]

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