Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [134]

Beneath the tree.

Allen lowered his fingers from his temples.

He simply couldn’t take Eris’s blazing stare any longer, and raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“I can’t use the [Realm of Severance] yet. I’ve only partially grasped [Perception Flow], and I’m even further from mastering [Mind Flow]. I’ve barely scratched the surface. So just now, I cheated a little—by closing my eyes, I cut off input from sound and color, shutting out visual information to focus entirely on refining tactile feedback. Then, using [Mind Flow], I entered a state where I could react only to form. That let me briefly mimic the [Realm of Severance].”

“Honestly, the [Realm of Severance] is incredibly demanding. It takes immense mental effort—so much so that even Her Excellency Reida can only use it while standing still. That’s the only way to keep her own movement from interfering with her information intake and causing a fatal misread.”

Eris immediately pouted and shot back at full volume.

“Who cares! Allen’s totally going to become the Water God!”

The logic made no sense, but the way she stood—arms crossed, utterly confident—was unshakable.

Allen’s mouth twitched.

“Thank you for your… blindly fervent faith.”

Eris shouted again.

“Then Allen must be way stronger than that other Allen from the Water God dojo!”

The moment those words dropped, everyone fell silent.

Ghislaine averted her admiring gaze from Allen and looked toward a falling leaf.

Rudeus covered his face.

Allen scratched his head as he looked at Eris’s expectant expression.

“Uh… you do realize he’s your cousin, right? Is it really okay to say that?”

Eris: (...)

“I don’t know him! I only know you! Allen is Allen—only the Allen standing right here in front of me!”

Rudeus groaned and rubbed his face—uncannily mirroring Allen’s reaction from earlier in the day.

Allen rubbed his temples in resignation.

“…Fine. Whatever.”

“Let’s get back to your Water God training curriculum.”

He deliberately ignored the way Eris’s lips puckered into a deeper frown, arms crossed and gaze fixed on him in blatant dissatisfaction.

“Based on what Ghislaine’s said and what I’ve seen of you myself, it’s clear that your talent in the Sword God Style far exceeds your potential in the Water God Style. So the lesson plan I’ve designed cuts out the typical beginner’s focus on defensive counters and sensory analysis—the hallmarks of the Water God Style.”

“Sure, those are the core traits of the Water God approach.”

“But if you try to learn Water God by the book, step by step, then what awaits you is the worst-case scenario: falling short in both styles—ending up a master of neither.”

“Not everyone is suited to pursue multiple sword styles at the same time. Some people are simply built for one path—and trying to force them onto another just doesn’t work.”

Eris blinked, eyes wide.

“What do you mean? But Allen, you use two sword styles!”

Allen gave a helpless shake of the head and was about to reply when Ghislaine cut in.

“Three.”

“Huh?”

“Allen is just as skilled in the North God Style.”

Allen waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m an outlier. I just got lucky, that’s all.”

But Rudeus suddenly grinned and cut in, teasing:

“Outlier? Sounds more like you just don’t think Eris has the math skills to—ow!”

Before he could finish, Eris smacked him hard across the head, cutting his words short with a satisfying thwack.

Rudeus clutched his head, shooting her a wounded glare, but dared not argue. He stepped aside with a dramatic gesture, inviting Allen to continue.

Allen could only sigh and shake his head again.

“…Focusing entirely on learning [Mind Flow], especially the part that trains your reflexive response to information—this alone will already help offset some of the Sword God Style’s weaknesses. Even if you never fully master [Mind Flow], it’ll still push your swordsmanship forward.”

“There are two specific weaknesses this training will help mitigate.”

He glanced at Ghislaine, who nodded knowingly. Then, crouching slightly, he began drawing in the dirt with his finger.

“One: your sword posture.”

“The Sword God Style’s [Longsword of Light] only allows three attack postures: high, middle, and the draw-cut. While in any of these stances, you also need a solid base. Otherwise, if you run into underhanded tricks like those used by North God red-tier fighters like Chimo, you might find yourself unable to release the [Longsword of Light] at a critical moment.”

“[Mind Flow], on the other hand, doesn’t restrict posture. You can strike from all kinds of angles. It may not match the Sword God Style in raw speed, but it compensates with versatility. That gives you more options in chaotic combat scenarios.”

“Two: concealing killing intent.”

Allen looked straight at Eris.

“Your killing intent is way too obvious. It makes it far too easy for opponents to read your next move—and in life-or-death fights, that’s fatal. [Mind Flow] can help you suppress that. Even if you never fully master it, just the training will help you gain control over your killing aura.”

“Killing intent? Ghislaine doesn’t have that?”

Allen turned to Ghislaine.

She looked back at him.

Their eyes met—then both of them glanced away.

Allen sighed.

“For starters, Ghislaine’s very good at containing hers. She only releases it when she actually swings her blade. You, on the other hand—just a single glare at Rudeus and even non-combatants can sense it. It’s that strong.”

Rudeus nodded in agreement—

Then froze.

He turned his head.

Eris was squinting at him, those crimson eyes glowing with a familiar predatory glint.

He instinctively shrank back.

Then—into his field of vision came a finger, pointing at the side of Eris’s eye.

“Overt killing intent. Even an outsider like me can feel it.”

It was Allen’s voice.

At those words, Eris blinked in surprise.

Then, for some reason, her expression stiffened—visibly so.

A moment later, she flew into a rage, raising her fist and swinging it toward Allen with a roar.

Fast. Carried on wind.

Absolutely furious.

But of course—it was effortlessly deflected.

Allen brushed her punch aside with a light application of [Flow Technique], and to Rudeus’s astonishment, even grabbed Eris’s cheek in the same motion, tugging her face toward him.

And yet—

His finger was lightly coated in battle aura, spreading the force evenly, as if making sure not to hurt her.

As he moved, Allen sighed and spoke.

“Don’t go around throwing full-strength punches at people whenever you get annoyed. You’re going to seriously injure someone. That’s a bad habit. You’ll have to break it—especially now that I’m your instructor.”

Mid-sentence, he had already pulled Eris’s face toward him by the cheek.

Their eyes met.

And just like that, the words stopped.

Because in Allen’s vision—

Even as he tugged her face, Eris was still biting her lip, face full of indignation, eyebrows raised high.

Like a young beast preparing to pounce.

And yet—what he saw in her eyes…

Was not killing intent.

Even Ghislaine, standing nearby, looked visibly taken aback.

Why?

Because—

That heavy, overwhelming killing aura from before—

Had vanished completely from Allen’s perception.

Even though Eris’s expression hadn’t changed much at all.

---

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!