Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [151]

In October, nights in the Fittoa Region were often cloaked in fog.

Though Roa City itself thrived with a bustling goods economy, the region as a whole still relied on an agriculture-based model. That meant the lands surrounding Roa were, for the most part, an endless spread of farmland—or fruit orchards that brought in a tidy profit.

Fog would roll in from the countryside, climbing over the tall city walls, and seep into Roa itself.

Even when the city stirred at daybreak, lively with people coming and going, the fog would linger stubbornly, refusing to leave.

If the ridgeline of the Red Dragon Mountains was its proud, raised head, then the forest at its base was its beard.

And beneath that?

Hills, rising and falling in gentle waves—like the Red Dragon’s claws, spread across all of Fittoa.

The Lord’s Manor was built leaning against one such “claw.”

This morning, there had been rain. With the “claw” rising high, the manor felt colder and more desolate than the rest of Roa.

And so, beyond the window...

...Was the blurred, rain-dampened scenery.

---

“Sylphy! Eris skipped class again!”

Sylphy stood up. Hearing Rudeus’s exasperated shout about what sounded like a very serious matter, her face showed no urgency. She only pushed her chair back in an unhurried motion and walked toward the door.

Her bare feet sank into the carpet, leaving shallow depressions that slowly smoothed out.

Sqeak… sqeak…—the sound of the pile springing back. The beastfolk maids had only just replaced it yesterday with that soft, animal-pelt-like texture used in late March or early April. The summer’s heat-friendly, firm-weave carpets had already been discarded.

This new carpet was… new.

So last night, Sylphy had chosen to leave her shoes by the door and walk barefoot across it.

It was very comfortable.

But halfway to the door, she stopped.

Her lashes trembled; reddish-brown eyes lowered.

She was still wearing the soft, fine silk pajamas—well-cut and luxurious—that Hilda had given her just before autumn began.

Sylphy turned.

Two steps.

To the wardrobe. Opening the doors—

On the left hung all manner of dresses, though most were white. Their fabrics varied: a long-sleeved dress with tiny, precise stitches made by Noda at home; a moon-white gown gifted by Hilda; one bought while “shopping” with the others—though in the end, Sylphy had stopped Allen from cashing in on his promise all at once by trying to give her ten dresses in a single day.

She had told him:

“Allen… you can give me one every so often. After all, there’s still a very long time ahead of us.”

Allen had blinked at her, clearly caught off guard, then nodded.

Only to watch her gaze drift from a blue dress to a white one.

Chosen. Purchased. Packed.

Paid for by Allen—who then trudged behind the group, burdened with bags upon bags.

Eris, finding the sight amusing, naturally and smoothly hooked her own shopping bags onto him as well.

One had to admit—it suited him.

Perhaps Allen was born to be a “clothes rack.”

Sylphy blinked. This sudden image, this thought, tugged a small smile onto her lips. But then she recalled Allen’s current situation, and the smile vanished instantly.

Her hands dropped to the long, cat-eared hooded nightshirt with its distinct Boreas style.

Gripping the hem—she lifted it.

In that instant, though the window was shut, it felt as if the damp mist outside had slipped in through the cracks, curling into the room.

The rain-fog of early autumn mornings was humid, and stifling.

A fine sheen of transparent sweat beaded over her skin.

As the nightshirt hem pressed against her thighs, the fabric caught there for just a heartbeat...

Then slid up over the gentle curve of her hips, carrying the sweat away with it.

Sylphy tugged the garment up over her head; her long ears twitched in the open air.

She turned to glance out the window, gauging the morning’s muggy heat.

Then her hand settled on the dress Allen had given her back in Buena Village.

Its fabric was thinner, stiffer, cooler to the touch.

She took it from the hanger and slipped it on in one smooth motion.

Release.

The hem dropped into the air before her legs, swaying.

The skirt that once brushed her knees now sat ten centimeters higher—a short skirt.

She didn’t pause.

Step—into a pair of lace-up leather shoes, the same style Eris wore.

Bend—tighten the straps.

Rise—run her fingers through her slightly tousled white hair, and head for the door.

The entire process took less than ten seconds.

Ten months ago, Sylphy would have flustered through it, pulling on anything in a rush to get out.

But after ten months of etiquette lessons, and nearly daily “madam’s tea time” sessions, her movements now were brisk yet carried a touch of natural grace.

Creak.

The door opened.

Directly across was the classroom, and the “student” who looked least like a student sat at her desk, back straight.

Head bent over the reading-and-writing homework Rudeus had left her yesterday.

Brows furrowed.

Cat ears pricked energetically atop her head.

Ghislaine.

Sylphy glanced at her, let out a quiet sigh, and turned.

Her gaze found Rudeus, leaning against the wall, palms spread in a what-can-you-do gesture, chin jerking toward the empty classroom.

“See? Skipped again. But, Madam Wind Discipline Committee, why are you waking up so late today?”

Sylphy blinked. After ten months of hearing this from Rudeus, she’d come to understand this mysterious term he had… somehow invented.

It meant a role in the classroom—someone who wrangled the restless children and kept them from running wild.

A bit like… a maid, but for class.

Catching her expression, Rudeus’s mouth twitched.

The first time Sylphy had explained it like that, he’d been floored—Wind Discipline Committee as a moe maid? He’d tried to explain, but Allen had jumped in with a look of sudden enlightenment and an overly dramatic clap: “Ahhh, so that’s what it means! I’ve learned something today!”

Fine. Class maid it was.

Allen’s expression had been… amusing.

Heh… the ‘foolish’ natives of the sword-and-magic continent.

Sylphy’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

“I didn’t oversleep, Rudy. I was reading the letter Lier delivered early this morning, so I was delayed a bit.”

“But.”

“If Eris isn’t here, then there’s no point for this ‘Wind Discipline Committee’ to sit in the classroom, is there? After all, I’m the teacher, not a student.”

Rudeus’s mouth twitched again.

“We agreed at the start—everyone’s a ‘student,’ we all take the lessons together. If you keep following Allen’s example, soon there’ll be no one left in reading and writing class!”

They locked eyes.

And sighed—together.

Eris’s truancy wasn’t new.

Sylphy’s ease in dealing with it showed that.

And Allen?

Allen was practicing swordsmanship.

Leave of absence, in name.

Skipping class, in truth.

---

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!