Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [127]

The Boreas household didn’t have any such thing as a post-lunch nap on its daily schedule.

After the meal, with blood rushing to their stomachs, the three little ones—excluding Allen and Ghislaine—walked with slightly wobbly steps.

Logically, people should start feeling drowsy around now. Allen had already mentally prepared himself for Eris to dash off around the nearest corner at lightning speed, bound for the stables to sneak in a nap.

But she didn’t.

Why?

Partly because, for Eris—who’d grown up in relative isolation—eating with “companions” was a rare experience.

Something new. Something she genuinely liked.

The young lady was clearly delighted, her steps light and cheerful.

When someone is basking in the happiness of being part of a group, with dopamine flooding their system, they subconsciously resist breaking away.

For Eris, that translated into a complete lack of her usual urge to ditch class and nap alone.

Even if she didn’t consciously realize she was in the midst of “group joy,”

Her instincts had already made the call.

On top of that, Sauros’s offhand praise had clearly made an impact.

He was the number one person Eris looked up to, which spoke volumes about how much she adored her grandfather.

And now that praise was tied to her time in class—

Suddenly, class didn’t feel so unpleasant anymore.

At least for the moment, fresh off a compliment.

And so—

With Eris charging ahead like a whirlwind, the group made their way into the courtyard to begin the afternoon’s tutoring session.

Magic and swordsmanship.

Naturally, an outdoor lesson.

Makes perfect sense, right?

This change of location threw off Rudeus’s original plan for a magic theory lesson, but seeing Eris so energetic, he didn’t feel any of the usual panic that came with a disrupted schedule. Instead, he relaxed.

This lesson might actually go pretty smoothly, he thought.

However—

One hour later, reality hit hard.

“May the great blessing of water descend where it is sought. Let the cool stream reveal itself—"

"[Water Ball]!”

Eris and Ghislaine chanted in unison.

With a soft gloop—

A tiny water orb, just a bit bigger than a marble, appeared above Ghislaine’s palm… and promptly splashed to the ground, bursting into a sparkling spray across the grass.

Right beside her—

Eris’s hand remained completely empty.

Too real.

Allen, Sylphy, and Rudeus were all struck silent by the sight.

That had been Eris’s fifty-third failed attempt to cast [Water Ball].

And naturally, her cheerful mood and earnest enthusiasm had been worn down to nothing after so many failures.

Rudeus glanced at her tense little face and paused for a moment.

Then—suddenly began to applaud.

“Good! Not bad! You’re getting there—just a bit more effort and you’ll have it! Eris, your arm muscles are too tight—don’t just focus on using your muscles! You don’t even need to feel the flow of mana yet—just relax your body and—”

Eris abruptly clenched her open hand into a fist, as if trying to crush the very concept of failure in her palm.

She gritted her teeth and shot Rudeus a fierce glare. Her voice came out in clipped, fiery bursts between clenched jaws:

“Are you clapping to mock me?!”

Rudeus flinched.

For a second, he thought he saw a red dragon spit flames right in front of him.

But when he blinked—it was just Eris.

Still, the dragon had already roared.

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you?!”

Rudeus froze for a beat. His style of positive reinforcement had been inspired by Sauros’s praise earlier, and now, being accused of mockery had his temper threatening to rise—but he forced himself to take a deep breath and gently replied:

“No, not at all. It’s totally normal to struggle with magic in the beginning. But if you just keep trying—”

“Why should I even learn magic?!”

Rudeus sighed, rubbing his face.

Here we go again. The classic nonsense from kids who don’t want to study.

“…Learning magic may not be essential for a swordsman, but the process itself sharpens your mind—”

“I asked why we’re learning magic! Not what it can be used for!”

That one stumped him.

“Uh… Magic is fun? And there’s a real sense of achievement when you cast a spell successfully—?”

“It’s not fun!”

“Er, but didn’t you say you were interested in adventuring and exploring dungeons? You might need magic—”

“I have my sword! Ghislaine doesn’t use magic either, and she’s an adventurer!”

Off to the side, Ghislaine looked like she wanted to say something. She stared at the soaked patch of grass beneath her feet, scratched her head, and gave up.

She didn’t really have a leg to stand on here.

Seeing her reaction, Eris’s eyes lit up.

She turned and pointed squarely at Allen, who stood nearby with a serious expression.

“Does Allen know magic?!”

That left Rudeus genuinely stumped.

As far as he remembered, Allen had never shown any interest in learning magic. Even with someone like Roxy—bearing the name of a god—around, Allen had been focused entirely on the sword.

He had no idea whether Allen could use magic or not.

Allen himself, who had just been dragged into this mess, was equally dumbfounded.

Could he use magic?

Hell no!

If it hadn’t been for Eris and Ghislaine chanting [Water Ball] over fifty times just now, he might not even remember the incantation correctly.

He couldn’t cast jack.

The one and only time he’d tried to expand his mana reserves as a kid, he’d attempted [Blow]—the lowest-impact beginner spell—because it left the fewest traces. Sure, it slightly increased his mana, but he realized right away that using this method to copy Rudeus’s training was pointless.

His “god-tier” mana recovery rate was so painfully slow, it would’ve sabotaged his ability to practice battle aura during his childhood phase.

So no—he’d never properly studied magic.

And he absolutely couldn’t use it.

Just moments ago, he’d also realized something else: Without the fireworks from the kidnapping incident in the original timeline, Eris had no emotional trigger to motivate her to learn magic in this timeline.

Would it help to put on the same fireworks show again?

No.

Because the fireball wasn’t just visually impressive—it had been seared into Eris’s memory in a moment of life-and-death danger. That’s what had left a lasting mark.

Now? A flashy explosion wouldn’t be enough to outweigh the pain of learning magic.

She had no real reason to care.

Allen fell deep into thought.

And while he was still thinking, Rudeus—unable to take it anymore—snapped back at the obstinate young lady.

“…What does Allen have to do with this?! He even knows [Perception Flow]—do you?! I’m only teaching you magic because Lord Philip asked me to. Are you planning to go against your father’s wishes?”

“Ha? I’m not learning it! Ghislaine doesn’t!”

“Ghislaine is Ghislaine! She doesn’t need to use magic!”

“Allen doesn’t use it either! So I don’t need it!”

Rudeus’s face twitched for a moment. He ground his words out between clenched teeth:

“Allen doesn’t use magic? Do you even know what a genius is? Just because he doesn’t use it doesn’t mean he can’t. He just doesn’t bother!”

“Hah?! Ghislaine can’t use magic! Why would Allen know it?! You’re lying, shorty!”

“Who’s lying to you?!”

“You are!”

“Me?! You?! Who says Allen can’t use magic?!”

“I do!”

“Allen can use magic!!”

Allen twitched at that shout from Rudeus, who had now completely lost his cool.

What the hell is this?

The whole argument sounded like those dumb “my-dad’s-better-than-your-dad” playground fights from his past life.

“My dad’s rich!”
“Well, my dad can fly!”
“Well, MY dad eats poop!”

Allen swallowed hard.

Damn it, I really don’t know magic. Rudeus, what the hell are you doing dragging me into this?!

He immediately raised his head, ready to clear his name.

“I—”

But before he could get a word out, he froze.

All eyes turned to him—Eris, Sylphy, Ghislaine, and Rudeus. All staring him down with blazing intensity.

So much pressure.

As Allen stood there, stunned—

The system panel materialized before his eyes in a swirl of smoke and sparks.

[Current Phase: Private Tutor Arc – Participation Score: 44]

[In just two days, your influence has already left a mark on Philip, Eris, Sauros, and Hilda.]

[Though it seems like there’s no obvious path to raise your score further, is that really the case?]

[You sowed the seeds back in childhood. Sylphy never got to study magic alongside Rudeus and Eris.]

[This premature convergence of the protagonist trio—isn’t that your doing?]

[New Task: Form the Jobless Trio Ahead of Schedule]

[Task Background: While Eris has been steadily progressing in reading and arithmetic—subjects she never wanted to learn—she now loathes the one thing she originally did want to learn: magic.]

[Task Objective: Rekindle Eris’s interest in magic. It’s a prime opportunity to deepen your bonds with Rudeus, Sylphy, and Eris. Note: The goal is not simply to make Eris learn magic, but to strengthen your group dynamic.]

[Reward: +6 Participation Points]

[Timer: 10 minutes. Task begins now.]

The words danced before his eyes. Allen’s expression twisted in disbelief.

He hadn’t been paying any attention to scores or tasks these past two days—he knew the tutor arc was long, and his focus had been on untangling inner dilemmas.

But now the system had just waltzed in with a mission.

Why didn’t you show up during the morning lesson? You throw out all this serious-sounding text, but I bet you just showed up now ‘cause you thought it’d be fun.

[Nonsense. I’m a perfectly respectable entity.]

You’re not even a person.

[I’m your god?]

Screw off.

[Okay.]

The mind-to-system chatter ended quickly. The smoke dissipated. Allen looked at the four pairs of eyes watching him, and realized:

There’s no backing out now.

He had absolutely no idea how to complete this task.

“…Uh… Well then.”

He had intended to say he really couldn’t use magic.

But what if he did, and Eris immediately gave up entirely?

[Water Ball] wasn’t that taxing. It consumed about a third—maybe less—of the mana needed for a mid-tier healing spell. And the key to casting it was relaxing enough to let the chant draw mana from the body. Unlike Eris’s rigid attempts, it should be doable.

With that thought, Allen braced himself and walked forward.

He held out his hand, extending it in front of him, and under the expectant gazes of the others—

He repeated the chant Eris had just used over and over again.

“May the great blessing of water descend where it is sought. Let the cool stream reveal itself—"

"[Water Ball]!”

As soon as the words left his lips, Allen felt mana gather in his palm.

Tiny threads of moisture from the air drew together, forming a water orb the size of a person’s head.

Under the wide-eyed stares of the others,

Sunlight filtered through the translucent ball, scattering colored ripples across the grass.

Rudeus smiled and opened his mouth, ready to say something to the stunned Eris.

And then—

From the corner of his eye,

He watched the water ball drop.

Straight from Allen’s palm.

With a splat, it hit the ground and burst into a puddle.

Rudeus’s smile froze. He looked at Allen, whose face had gone red with embarrassment, then at Ghislaine—who quickly glanced away and stared at the grass. Finally, he turned to Eris.

She beamed with an expression that could only be described as smug glee.

“See? Allen can’t do it either! So I don’t need to learn it!”

Loud and proud.

Everyone went quiet.

Allen stared at the water-soaked grass. He turned to Rudeus and said quietly:

“…After casting [Water Ball], do I need to keep feeding it mana to stabilize it?”

Rudeus, dejected, responded weakly:

“Allen-sama… You really can’t use magic. Did you dump all your talent into swordsmanship?”

“…”

“…Pretty much.”

Eris watched the whole exchange with immense satisfaction.

Allen’s lack of magical talent didn’t lower her opinion of him one bit. On the contrary—it gave her a sense of camaraderie.

See?

Grandpa doesn’t use magic. Ghislaine doesn’t. Eris doesn’t.

So of course Allen wouldn’t either!

And he didn’t!

Perfect!

Now she didn’t have to learn it either!

She opened her mouth, ready to declare victory.

But just then, Sylphy stepped forward and gently took her hand.

No—more precisely,

She grasped the hilt of the sword in Eris’s hand.

Sylphy looked down at the blade with a trace of nostalgia in her eyes. She smiled softly.

“I used to want to learn swordsmanship too. But in the end… I chose to learn magic.”

Eris blinked.

And Rudeus turned his head slightly to look at Sylphy.

He suddenly remembered—two years ago, when he first met her, she’d been exactly like Eris.

All she’d wanted was to learn the sword.

Not magic.

---

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!