Mushoku Tensei: the Apostle of God

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Rudeus was momentarily taken aback.

"Huh?"

Sylphie also looked puzzled.

Rudeus then seemed to understand something and glanced at Sylphie.

"Magic, huh? That's not a bad idea... This way, if we're not around, Sylphie can use magic to defend herself if she gets bullied."

"I..."

Allen nodded repeatedly.

"Right, so it's more suitable for you to teach her. I don't know any magic, after all."

"Um..."

"Ah... It's a bit troublesome... But since it's Allen's request, I'll reluctantly agree."

"...You wouldn't teach her unless I asked, huh?"

"Why should I teach her magic? It's better if you..."

Sylphie tried to interject twice but failed. She looked left at Allen, then right at Rudeus, realizing neither of them was paying attention to her. She grew anxious.

"I... I want to learn swordsmanship!"

...

...

By the time she spoke, the group had already reached the large tree on the hillside.

The wind was gentle, carrying away the trailing words of Rudeus's "It's better if you teach her swordsmanship" into the air.

He blinked, a slow smile spreading across his face as he turned to look at Allen, who wore a stunned expression. Rudeus's smile was that of someone enjoying the show.

'Hehe, Lord Allen, it seems your little boy doesn't want to learn magic from me. Instead, he wants to learn swordsmanship from you! What are you waiting for? This is the perfect training opportunity! Agree to it!'

Allen's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish's, completely baffled.

'Huh? This butterfly effect is too much. You, a Laplace factor carrier, want to learn swordsmanship? Are you kidding me?'

"Why?"

Sylphie blinked, then turned and made a slashing motion with her small hand toward Rudeus, who was watching the scene unfold. Her pointed ears twitched in the air as her hand cut through the space in front of her, accompanied by a cute "whoosh" sound.

Rudeus remained unharmed, his mouth twitching.

Allen stumbled in place.

"Wait! You don't actually think sword aura projection is cool, do you?"

Sylphie and Rudeus both tilted their heads, looking up at Allen with puzzled expressions.

"Isn't it cool?"

They spoke in unison.

Allen was momentarily stunned, then his face fell.

'Wait! This butterfly effect is way too obvious. In the original story, Rudeus thought swordsmanship was decent, but he never considered it "cool." And Sylphie? She's even more outrageous, directly asking to learn hand-slashes and aura projection. Seriously, you're a no-chant healing magic specialist! It's not suitable for you! Since when do healers charge into melee combat?'

Sylphie, seeing Allen's increasingly serious expression, grew nervous.

Rudeus, on the other hand, acted as if it had nothing to do with him. He turned away to admire the wild calligraphy Allen had carved into the tree yesterday, though his occasionally twitching ears showed he was still in "spectator mode."

Sylphie, seeing Allen remain silent for so long, shrank back, her eyes darting around.

'Oh no... Does... Does Allen not want me to learn swordsmanship...?'

"Um..."

"If... If Allen doesn't like it, I can learn magic from Rudeus instead... That's fine too. Magic is... okay. I can help you... blow-dry your hair..."

A gust of wind swept through, tousling Allen and Rudeus's hair.

They both stared at Sylphie in disbelief.

"Huh?"

"So, Sylphie has never seen proper offensive magic before..."

After a flurry of explanations, Allen realized that Sylphie had never witnessed offensive magic. Her father, Roa, was skilled with a bow but knew nothing about magic. Her mother was a typical homemaker, adept at sewing, cooking, and other household tasks but had no knowledge of magic either.

So, compared to magic, which was just "simply releasing hot water and blow-drying hair," she was more inclined to learn aura projection, which could slap mud in someone's face with a flick of the hand.

The latter seemed more powerful.

This was perfectly in line with the values of a young child who was fascinated by anything that seemed impressive.

'Well, Roa's mother, Elinalise, was a swordsman, so it's normal that he wasn't taught magic... And Sylphie is only five, living in such a remote village. It's no surprise she's never seen magic.'

Allen watched as Rudeus chased Sylphie around the tree, using a combination of Heat Hand and Wind Blast magic while shouting, "Hurry up and learn so you can blow-dry your beloved Allen's hair!"

'What the heck is "blow-drying your beloved Allen's hair"?'

"Rudeus!"

Rudeus, still chasing Sylphie, turned to look at Allen.

"Huh?"

"Stop messing around. Since she's never seen proper offensive magic, demonstrate it for her."

Rudeus frowned.

"Can't she just learn swordsmanship?"

Allen glanced at Sylphie, who was cautiously watching him, and sighed silently.

"I've observed her... Her physical condition isn't suitable for learning swordsmanship. Swordsmanship heavily relies on talent. Don't be fooled by how carefree Paul seems, as if he just casually practices and achieves high mastery. In truth, he's a swordsmanship genius."

Rudeus was taken aback.

"Is that so..."

Allen looked at Rudeus, his smile gradually fading as he suddenly realized that Rudeus had already reached saint-level proficiency in magic.

"...Rudeus, according to Roxy, your magic talent is terrifyingly high. You can cast spells without chanting, and you've already reached the level of a Water Saint Mage. Moreover, you're a Water Saint Mage because that's the highest level Roxy can teach, not because your potential is limited to that."

As Rudeus listened to Allen recount Roxy's praise for him, a smile slowly spread across his face.

But the next sentence made his smile freeze.

"So, I'm curious... How strong are you now? If we were at a sufficient distance, who would be stronger—you or me?"

Rudeus stared at Allen's serious expression, stunned.

"What are you talking about? You're my swordsmanship teacher, so of course you're stronger."

Allen looked at Rudeus, his face expressionless.

"I mean, if my swordsmanship were pitted against your magic, who would be stronger?"

Rudeus's face fell even further.

"You can even spar with Father, so of course you're..."

"Do you really believe that?"

Rudeus opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time.

With his gentle, non-confrontational personality, he felt completely out of his depth in this unexpected situation. Even though Roxy had bestowed upon him the title of Water Saint Mage, he had never truly felt the weight of it. In the future, even as an adventurer, he would avoid conflicts whenever possible.

"That... That's only natural..."

"Use your full power to cast offensive magic at me. Let Sylphie see the true power of offensive magic."

Rudeus was utterly panicked, not even noticing that Allen had said "Sylphie" instead of "Sylph."

"...Are you joking..."

In the next moment, Rudeus felt a breeze brush past his cheek. A cold, gleaming blade was now resting against his neck.

Under the sunlight, the slender blade reflected like a mirror.

Rudeus saw his pale face reflected in the blade. Even though the blunt side was pressed against his neck, he could still feel a chilling aura emanating from the edge.

He swallowed hard and followed the blade to its source.

Allen, who had been several meters away just a moment ago, was now right in front of him.

He leaned down, his eyes narrowing as he stared directly into Rudeus's shocked pupils.

"I said, treat me as your enemy and use offensive magic on me."

Rudeus stared into Allen's eyes, realizing he was completely serious.

Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 55 on my patreon, go take a look.