Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [143]

A gleam of steel sliced through the air.

Carving the wind.

Ripples stirred across the surface of the air—

Then vanished within a pair of crimson eyes.

Silent.

But emotion had weight, and form.

The young lady immediately lit up with excitement, eyes wide as she snapped her head up to look at Allen, her gaze fervent.

“I could see that slash! I mean... the feeling of it!! Yeah, I could feel it in the air!!”

Rudeus was still immersed in the never-tiring beauty of Allen’s [Longsword of Silence]—his heart overflowing with praise, metaphors tripping over themselves.

Yes. Allen’s [Longsword of Silence] was nothing like Paul’s.

Paul’s style was raw power, speed, a chaotic blur of relentless attacks.

No denying the man had sword talent.

Flashy, aggressive, overwhelming.

But Allen’s [Longsword of Silence]—despite being trained under the same Sword God Style—was fundamentally different.

Not fierce. Not drenched in a rain of blows.

It moved with elegant simplicity.

Like a falling leaf.

Like a breeze in spring.

And when the spring breeze passed—

Heads rolled.

That was Allen’s [Longsword of Silence].

But then—

Eris's sudden comment—"I could see the feeling"—that utterly abstract, stream-of-consciousness nonsense yanked Rudeus straight out of his poetic haze.

What kind of description even is that?

The desperate wail of a hopeless illiterate?

Rudeus rubbed his face in defeat.

Then turned helplessly to look at Allen.

But instead of the doting smile he expected from Allen in response to Eris’s enthusiasm—

Allen’s expression was... stiff. Staring vacantly at the blade in his hand.

Was it just his imagination?

Rudeus thought he caught a flicker of confusion in that blank look.

Before he could piece it together, Ghislaine gave the response he had anticipated.

Admiration. As always.

Her tone shifted—precise, insightful, the kind of logical clarity that only emerged when discussing swordsmanship. Rudeus’s overflowing praise now had a theoretical twin.

It was obvious—she really favored Allen.

A bit much, honestly.

They’ve only known each other for how many days?

“A very mature [Longsword of Silence]. Completely different from the slashing styles used by most in the Holy Land of Swords. Hard to believe this was taught by Paul.”

“You’ve preserved the essential power while abandoning unnecessary aura layering. That saved aura is instead compressed fully into speed. The blade moves lightly, but fast enough.”

“And you’ve minimized your killing intent.”

“This [Longsword of Silence] has a distinctly personal character. Honestly, it doesn’t even feel like a [Longsword of Silence]—it’s closer in spirit to your Water God Style.”

“Well done.”

A string of praise, delivered without pause.

Ghislaine took a short beat, then glanced sideways at Allen, still looking at his blade—her gaze tinged with a bit of confusion.

She added:

“From what I can tell, there’s still room to refine it with further practice.”

That snapped Rudeus out of his “what’s-with-Allen’s-face” thoughts. He sighed inwardly.

Welp. Eris’s rebellion against theory class had succeeded.

It’s like Allen’s crawling all over my spine.

Miserable!

“You two... I give up. Seriously.”

Eris shot him a smug glance and huffed—then spun around and grabbed both of them by the wrists, practically dragging them over to an open patch of ground.

One on her left, one on her right.

Then she shoved them apart to opposite ends.

Exactly five meters apart.

Perfect.

Then the young lady ran back another ten meters and spun around.

The low sun behind her filtered through her hair—vibrant red now soaked in golden evening light, gleaming like wine in the dusk.

Wine spilled through the air.

Brows lifted with glee.

Her little shoes clicked smartly on the stone.

She beamed at Allen.

“[Longsword of Silence]! I wanna watch it again!”

She stretched out one arm and slashed the air in front of her.

“Go! Allen! Ghislaine!”

The way she barked orders left Ghislaine half-resigned, glancing at her, then turning to face Allen across the way.

Allen stood, hand on his sword, gaze lowered, lost in thought.

A flicker of surprise passed through Ghislaine’s eyes. She squinted slightly.

“Allen? You alright?”

He lifted his head at her voice, his face returning to normal.

“...I’m fine. Just thinking a bit. So, a [Longsword of Silence] sparring session? Are we doing one-strike exchanges?”

Ghislaine studied him, her calm face showing its first ripple of the day—her brows lifted slightly.

She glanced at Allen’s blade.

“No need. Let’s do free sparring with just the [Longsword of Silence]. If either of us senses danger, we can fall back on Water God Style for defense. Since you can block a Saint-rank [Longsword of Light], [Longsword of Silence] shouldn’t be a problem.”

“If you won’t get hurt, no need for wooden swords either.”

“It’s late. Let’s begin.”

“Alright.”

Allen took a deep breath.

Then raised the nicked blade—and swung it through the air!

The wind stirred, tugging at his sleeves.

They flared with the motion.

“So? My move first?”

Ghislaine nodded.

“Go ahead.”

As her voice faded—

Allen’s gaze narrowed, fixing on Ghislaine’s throat. He stepped forward.

Dust stirred around his feet but hadn’t even settled—

When his figure vanished into the air.

The next moment, a sharp shriiiek rang out across the field!

Sparks burst in front of Ghislaine!

Allen’s blade had slashed the air just beyond her neck.

Fifteen centimeters.

That was the spot he’d been watching.

Why?

Because that’s where Ghislaine’s blade would appear.

Without a doubt.

And now, it had.

How else would there be sparks?

Momentum carried the blades into each other, screeching as they scraped in a violent clash of steel.

In that moment—

Their eyes met.

Ghislaine’s expression was calm as still water.

But Allen’s eyes were full of uncertainty, as though something didn’t add up.

Ghislaine’s eyes flashed. She flicked her wrist to disengage—

Then struck with a [Longsword of Silence] of her own!

Powerful, pressing, full of weight—it carried the same pressure as her Longsword of Light.

The blood-red arc tore through the air, and within the tightening pupils of Allen’s eyes—

The blade was already there.

He rushed to intercept with his own Silent Blade.

But in that blinding instant—

He felt his sword drag against his wrist, as if slicing through water.

His pupils constricted to pinpoints!

No good—I'm too slow!

[Perception Flow]! [Intent Flow]!

Hiramune hadn’t reached his neck yet, but he could feel its edge with razor clarity.

It was right there—the air it cut was already brushing his skin.

He twisted his wrist, bringing his blade up—

To meet the incoming strike.

But his reaction had lagged. He was distracted. The change in motion—too late, too forced.

So—

His blade barely made it.

Just enough for the tip to intercept Hiramune’s path.

But the [Perception Flow] was off.

It wasn’t in the right position.

Clang!!!

A violent metallic scream!

Allen’s blade split in two mid-air as Ghislaine instantly pulled hers back.

But the blow had already landed.

The force of her strike—

The turbulence of her blade—

Crashed into Allen’s body like a hammer.

He was launched into the air.

In that instant—

Through Eris’s shocked and horrified eyes, the two blurred figures met—

Two arcs of steel flashed—

And Allen was sent flying like a cannonball.

Crashing past the estate gates.

He hit the ground. Rolled.

Dirt scattered from the cracks between the bricks. Dust billowed into the air.

At last, he lay crumpled at the stone steps beyond the gate.

“Allen!!”

Everyone present cried out—except Ghislaine.

Even two voices that hadn’t been there just moments ago.

Dust swirled, slow to settle.

But someone had already rushed into it from inside the mansion.

Within the smoke—

Allen sat on the ground, body upright.

His clothes were torn in several places, his face scraped.

Yet he didn’t seem to feel any of it—he simply stared downward in a daze.

In his palm—

Lay half of a broken blade.

At that moment, a soft, familiar voice echoed at his side.

Far away—

And yet right beside him.

“Allen! Allen! Are you okay?!”

The glow of Chantless Healing Magic flared to life. Protected by aura, his wounds began to close swiftly.

But Allen was dazed.

He looked up.

Dust drifted around him, tinted by the setting sun streaming in from the far end of the courtyard.

It fell like a veil of light—

Settling on the moon-white dress before him.

Familiar reddish-brown eyes—

White hair fluttering like always.

The sight—

Made him think of two moments, unbidden.

A crimson seascape at dusk, a fleeting glance at the edge of a canyon;

A rain-soaked sunrise, chilled skin against damp air.

That time—

Was exactly like this time.

Allen blinked.

And he understood.

Why he’d been too slow to swing back at Ghislaine’s strike.

Why his once-flawless [Longsword of Silence] had felt so clumsy this afternoon.

The reason—

Was right in front of him.

It wasn’t that Ghislaine was too strong.

It was that his blade was slow.

The spring breeze scattered the dust, spinning across his vision—

Brushing against Sylphy’s face, fluttering past the hem of her crimson gown.

It danced in a loop—

And slipped through the window beside the courtyard wall.

Inside—

It rustled the two sheets of paper left on a classroom desk.

The corners curled up in the breeze.

On them—words written during writing class, in response to Rudeus’s prompt: List ten words that come to mind, instantly, without thinking.

「Endurance」「Protect」「Allen」「Reject」「Imitate」「Stand Beside」「Them」「By」「My」「Self」

「Displacement」「Soon」「Rescue」「Choose」「Demon Continent」「Conflict Zone」「Mother」「Headache」

「Roxy」

The spring breeze lifted the second page—

Revealing the last word written at the bottom.

「Sylphiette」

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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!