Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [155]

“See? Wouldn’t it have been better to do this from the start? No need to waste half a year, right? Though… maybe they’re still a bit young for certain things—not that it matters! From what I know of Allen, his tastes should be completely different from his father’s.”

“Pajamas will work!”

“They’ll definitely work!”

When Rudy said this, the corners of his mouth lifted on both sides, revealing that long-lost, sleazy smile.

And as if thoroughly pleased with his own suggestion, he even clapped his hands together and nodded.

The very image of a “teacher” proud of guiding his students.

His voice had barely fallen when...

The air filled with the crisp ka-cha, ka-cha of ice forming.

With that familiar sound, Rudy suddenly felt that in this stuffy, closed-window dining hall, the air had turned cold.

Goosebumps prickled across the backs of his hands.

…?

His expression stiffened; he blinked in surprise.

In his line of sight, the ice blade in Sylphy’s hand was very real.

Almost exactly like Allen’s—thin, straight-edged, cold, sharp, glittering with a chill gleam.

And in stark contrast to the gentle, smiling face behind it.

“Rudy, what are you talking about? I don’t quite understand.”

Rudy’s mouth twitched open slightly, but he paused.

He was a Saint-ranked magician—how could he be intimidated by an ice knife? But there was something in Sylphy’s tone that gave him pause.

Didn’t understand?

What part didn’t she understand?

Was it that once in the room, she wouldn’t understand the “methods” because of being too young? Or did she not understand the motive and reasoning behind his suggestion in the first place?

If it was the former—Allen would probably teach her, right? Sylphy seemed the passive type… as long as Allen took the initiative—

Rudy’s face froze.

Wait! Allen might look mature, but is he actually good at that sort of thing? If they left it to him, wouldn’t the two of them end up talking swordsmanship theory all night instead?!

Was he going to have to be more than their reading, arithmetic, magic, and history teacher—was he now supposed to be their “life guidance” instructor too?!

No, no, don’t dwell on that yet. If it’s the second case, then…

…that would be trouble.

He sat there, momentarily blank, eyes shifting. He glanced at the ice blade in Sylphy’s hand—more a show of intimidation than actual threat—then at the blush creeping from the tips of her pointed ears down her cheeks.

He blinked, swallowing back the easy laugh that wanted to escape, and instead composed his expression into something perfectly serious.

“Sylphy, at which point did you stop understanding? Should I explain in more detail?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Sylphy’s eyes flew wide. Her whole face flushed red, and Rudy was suddenly reminded of a boiled shrimp from his past life.

She stared at his utterly solemn expression, lips working a few times before she finally opened her mouth in disbelief:

“Rudy… your expression… are you serious? How would that even work? If it did work, then… then the teacher would have to do it himself, wouldn’t he?”

At that, Rudy’s lips twitched.

As expected—

Sylphy hadn’t realized at all that Allen liked her.

Nor had she fully grasped why Allen’s desire had stagnated lately.

He raked both hands through his hair in frustration.

Back at the start, he’d only meant to play the “green leaf” at Allen’s side—thinking that when certain “leftover beauties” were ignored by Allen, their eyes might drift toward him. But now? Not only had his “god” been stolen away, there weren’t even any “leftovers” to look at him.

And now, on top of that, he was supposed to turn around and push this long-eared, white-haired elf beauty toward the “very charming” Allen?!

Was he really that committed to the green-leaf role?!

Allen-dono, you’re too much!

So… how to nudge Sylphy?

What approach would feel natural...

At that moment, a gentle voice spoke beside them:

“Excuse me, Miss Sylphy—may I have that ice knife?”

Rudy looked up.

Standing beside them was a cat-eared head chef maid, wearing a white cook’s apron. She was slightly bent at the waist, seeking Sylphy’s consent—but her gaze kept flicking toward the blade in Sylphy’s hand.

Sylphy hurried to offer the ice knife with both hands.

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

The head chef took it using a thick kitchen cloth, bowed, and left in high spirits.

Leaving behind a slightly dazed Sylphy and Rudy.

Scenes like this had been cropping up now and then since summer. The first time had been when Sylphy, during a meal, used a perfectly magic-compressed ice blade—just like today—to “threaten” a foul-mouthed Rudy.

And then, this head chef had suddenly popped up!

First lavishing praise on Sylphy’s “craft,” and finally—before the stunned eyes of Allen, Rudy, and Sylphy—asking if she could keep the ice blade.

As one of the Asura Kingdom’s Four Great Houses, the Boreas chefs maintained the luxurious culinary habits of the royal capital when cooking for the lords.

One particular dish used the meat of a fish-type magical creature, taken fresh from the belly while still alive, sliced into nearly transparent slivers, and served immediately—doused in boiling water to be eaten crisp and tender.

The knife for this dish? It had to be an ice blade.

Until then, maids had to fetch ice from the cellar and chisel it into blades—blades that were easily ruined, and often froze their hands. Other magicians’ ice-blade magic produced clumsy, thick edges useless in the kitchen.

So the first time the head chef saw such a perfect ice knife in Sylphy’s hands, of course she was delighted to hunt what she’d spotted.

Convenient, wasn’t it?

The two of them watched in silence as the cat-eared woman, tail swinging, walked away in a good mood—each lost in their own thoughts.

Rudy’s gaze lingered on the swaying tail beneath her skirt, and an idea struck. Maybe… pairing Sylphy with a tail would be an even more effective “special attack” on Allen?

Pushing Sylphy to tempt Allen? —Wrong!

Making Allen-dono realize Sylphy’s charm so he couldn’t hold himself back? —Right!

Meanwhile, Sylphy’s eyes had gone to the woman’s proud cat ears—reminding her of Lier, whose ears would perk and twitch while serving tea to Madam during morning tea.

Madam…

Sylphy blinked, her blush fading.

“Rudy… do you think encouraging Madam and Allen to interact would make Allen settle down? He clearly cares about Madam, doesn’t he?”

Rudy, chin propped in his hand, dismissed it without much thought—still mulling over tail material selection.

“I’ve thought about that. But Allen clearly avoids Madam, doesn’t he? The moment he notices her watching him from the second floor, he runs up to the eaves to practice. So that idea won’t work. Better for you to just—”

Before he could finish his nonsense, Sylphy cut in quickly:

“Then—then just make it so Allen can’t avoid Madam!”

Rudy blinked, turning to look at her.

“…Don’t tell me you mean to send Madam up onto the eaves?”

Sylphy ignored the question.

“Right now, the only class Allen never skips, because of the relationship involved, is—”

Rudy’s jaw dropped.

“—Etiquette class?”

---

This is a fan translation of 无职转生：剑，魔法帽与恋爱系统 by 意外火灾 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!