Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [135]

“What, so I have killing intent—what about it? You got a problem with that?!”

A sharp, indignant voice exploded beneath the tree.

Eris’s crimson eyes, lit by the sun, made the line between red iris and black pupil stark and distinct.

They looked just like a predator’s—like those of a big cat. Full of power. Full of killing intent.

Rudeus stood off to the side, dumbstruck.

In his mind, he could already see it: Eris springing up on the spot and pummeling Allen into the dirt.

He opened his mouth to try and de-escalate, but the words stuck in his throat.

Wait.

Is this even necessary?

Can Allen really keep this little lioness under control?

Well, in terms of skill, absolutely.

But can I?

Honestly, with his level of magical ability—yes, probably.

Then why is it that when she’s smacked me upside the head a few times, I barely react?

Well, first—Eris’s punches were still within tolerable bounds.

Second—he was, after all, the private tutor hired by the Boreas family. He couldn’t exactly go around trading blows with a child.

Okay.

The real reason is...

This is the Boreas family.

And Allen?

What’s his full name again?

Maybe others didn’t know his identity—but surely his employer, Philip, knew exactly who he was.

Wasn’t that the whole reason for this tutoring arrangement?

Rudeus’s mind couldn’t process things as quickly or clearly as Allen’s. By the time he figured it out and finally let out a breath of relief, several seconds had passed.

He looked up.

In his line of sight—

Allen still had a grip on Eris’s cheek.

And she was still glaring furiously at him.

...Huh?

Rudeus blinked, wondering if his vision was playing tricks on him.

Wait a minute—

Isn’t this way too calm?

Wasn’t this supposed to devolve into chaos by now?

“Ugh…”

Eris locked eyes with Allen for what felt like an eternity, trying to overwhelm him with her glare. But when he said nothing the whole time, her lips jutted out in frustration.

She swatted his hand off her cheek.

Still scowling, she turned and kicked the grass hard with her boot.

The young lady was clearly mad.

“Hmph!”

A beat of silence followed.

“No punching? Fine, no punching! What’s with all this talk about ‘killing intent’? Makes no damn sense!”

She gave the ground another vicious kick.

Rudeus watched, heart pounding, afraid he’d become collateral damage.

Ghislaine, on the other hand, just shook her head and chuckled softly, a flash of subtle affection in her eyes.

Eris was throwing a tantrum.

Not a rage-filled outburst—but a real, honest-to-goodness tantrum.

It had been a long time since Ghislaine had seen one.

Heh.

Meanwhile, Allen stood there, completely out of it.

Thoughts flickered one after another through his mind.

[Perception Flow] doesn’t lie.

The sensory information gathered through the Water God Style had never deceived him.

Eris truly hadn’t released the slightest bit of killing intent toward him.

Even now, though she was grumbling and kicking up turf—

She was only venting.

Allen had already caught the root of her anger.

It had been that offhand remark—“Your killing intent’s so obvious, even an outsider like me could sense it.”

At that moment, someone like Eris probably didn’t fully understand why she was upset—nor could she articulate it clearly.

But driven by that acute emotional instinct, her frustration surged.

And so, she’d thrown a punch at him.

Infused with battle aura.

Knowing full well it wouldn’t land.

Still, she had to punch him.

The result was ironic.

When she wasn’t consciously trying to express killing intent, it emerged naturally—like a silent, crouching leopard ready to pounce.

But when she tried to release it—toward someone she couldn’t bring herself to truly target—it came out clumsy, like a housecat yowling with bared teeth.

That was what had left Allen stunned.

He hadn’t expected that, barely into this tutoring arrangement—

He’d already earned Eris’s complete trust.

And it was a very specific kind of trust—one deeply familiar to him as someone who had read the original story.

Blind faith. Irrational, unreasonable, borderline foolish—but strangely impossible to dislike.

Once she decided she “only recognized you,” then even if you did something utterly absurd, she’d justify it on your behalf.

And she’d stick by you like a loyal dog.

It was especially pronounced in the original Rudeus route.

But now?

What brought this about so quickly?

Just that rescue during the rainy night?

But even after the kidnapping in the original, Eris’s attitude toward Rudeus had still been haughty—only softening into tsundere territory after her tenth birthday.

Was it because this time, the act of saving her hadn’t been done through unfamiliar magic, but through swordsmanship far beyond her expectations? Was it because Allen's skill with a blade had directly shaken her heart—and now gave her this "trust buff"?

Could it really be that simple?

She was out here ignoring her blood-related cousin—

Just to praise some outsider?

Outsider?

Blood-related?

Allen’s mouth parted slightly in realization. He looked over at Eris.

She had just pulled her muddy black boots out of the dent she’d kicked into the grass. Her brow furrowed as she returned his gaze with a face full of intimidation.

A spring breeze brushed across her face, stirring her bangs. Beads of sweat glimmered faintly on her forehead.

She looked utterly ferocious.

And suddenly, Allen understood.

Why, back when he first met Eris in Buena Village—even when she came at him like a wild animal—he’d thought:

“Why is my little sister so cute?”

The answer was simple.

It was something felt in the body—a kinship rooted in blood.

A feeling different from his interactions with any other girl.

It had made him instinctively accept her as his “sister” upon first meeting. It was why, during that night in the rain, he had moved to protect her without thinking.

It wasn’t just because he liked her as a fictional character.

And thinking back now—outside the Greyrat manor in Buena Village, it had clearly been him talking to Philip.

But Eris had instinctively avoided him and gone straight to beat up Rudeus.

Same logic.

It was a natural affinity carried in the blood.

A subconscious emotional recognition beyond any measured distance.

It was why, in her heart, she might’ve thought something like—

“This guy’s kinda easy on the eyes. He definitely can’t be that annoying Allen. That sneaky-looking guy over there? Now he’s Allen.”

Allen blinked.

In his gaze, Eris’s crimson hair flew wild in the spring wind.

And in that moment, Allen remembered someone with the exact same shade of red.

The name written on that folded paper in his bedroom drawer.

That person.

The one whose name had been haunting him from the beginning.

So that’s what it was.

So that’s where the root of this ‘conflict’ truly lay.

---

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!