Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [119]

The spring breeze brushed gently across his face.

It tousled the fringe over Allen’s forehead.

He “opened” his eyes.

In his field of vision—

Light filtered through the shadows between the trees, scattering in dappled patches that swayed in front of the blue-haired girl’s eyes. The way the light moved made Allen feel as though her gaze was far too dazzling.

He couldn’t see her face clearly.

Instinctively, Allen blinked and turned his head to the side.

Beside him stood a tree.

The bark was deeply textured—he didn’t need to touch it to feel its rough grain beneath his fingertips.

There were words carved into the bark:

[Rudy, Sylphy, and Allen’s territory.]

In that instant, Allen realized exactly where he was.

The hillside of Buena Village.

He froze for a moment, his thoughts foggy. He couldn’t remember what he’d been doing just a moment ago, or why he was suddenly zoning out here.

But it was fine.

Roxy was right in front of him.

He could just ask her.

So thinking, Allen turned his head to look at the person standing opposite him.

White hair. Reddish-brown eyes.

It was Sylphy’s face.

As if the blue hair and eyes just now had been nothing but an illusion.

At this moment, in the wind of a spring day, her white hair danced in the breeze. Her hands clasped behind her back, she stood just like she always did when waiting for Allen at the Greyrat home. Her gaze met his confused expression.

Her lips parted.

“Chirp.”

Crisp and clear, like the call of a bird rousing someone from sleep on a spring morning.

So natural.

…?

So natural?

Thud!

Allen’s foot slipped, and he shot upright from his chair.

His eyes flew open.

A fine desk. A candle burned down to its base. Sheets of letter paper, densely covered in English letters, lay scattered atop the desk.

He blinked and turned toward the window beside the desk.

Two birds were perched on the sill, craning their necks to peer at the man who had just jolted upright like a corpse from a tomb.

“Chirp.”

They weren’t even afraid of people.

Amid the birdsong, the dawn light of spring spilled like fire across the walls of the Boreas estate. The wind blew in through the open window, brushing against Allen’s dazed face and waking him fully.

Only then did he realize he’d just had a bizarre dream. The wind, the birdsong—details from the real world had slipped into his subconscious and woven themselves into the dream.

Allen shook his head with a chuckle.

“What a mess. One moment it’s Sylphy, the next it’s Roxy. And to think I fell asleep on the desk last night without even reading what Roxy was writing.”

What a shame—

Missed the rough draft this time too.

Tragic.

Stretching with a yawn, he could feel the surge of battle aura flowing smoothly through his body, washing away all traces of fatigue.

“Not a bad night’s sleep.”

After his stretch, Allen glanced at the pen in his hand.

Beneath it—

Was Roxy’s name.

He paused, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Folding up the papers on the desk, he slid them into a drawer and locked it without a second thought.

He rolled his stiff neck, letting battle aura clear the stagnant blood.

Then he turned and walked to the door.

He pushed it open—

And was greeted by the sight of the open classroom. Its windows were wide too, letting the wind rush in to meet him.

The next moment, the door next to his opened as well.

Allen turned to look.

Sylphy.

She looked like she’d been awake for a while. Her face was still damp, probably just washed. A few wet strands of white hair clung to her cheeks.

The breeze stirred by the cross-draft sent her hair flying in every direction. Beneath the dancing strands was her smiling face.

Just like in the dream.

Allen blinked.

And then Sylphy’s voice reached his ears.

“Good morning, Allen.”

Not birdsong—

But just as pleasant to hear.

So Allen responded.

“Good morning.”

...

Breakfast was served in the servants’ dining room. Even so, the food was far more refined than anything in Buena Village.

It was worth noting that Allen and Sylphy had to drag Rudy out of the library. As expected, whether in the original timeline or this one, Old Neet’s enthusiasm for magic and his boundless initiative remained unchanged.

He’d gotten up at the crack of dawn. While Sylphy was still washing up, he’d splashed water on his face and darted off to the library in search of grimoires.

All he found, though, were the same magic textbooks from Buena Village.

He was thoroughly disheartened by the time Allen and Sylphy found him.

But upon seeing the refreshed, energetic look on Allen’s face, his spirits quickly improved.

And by the time they were eating, both corners of his mouth had curved up into that signature pervy grin.

Since this was the servants’ dining hall, naturally, aside from the aroma of food, the place was also suffused with the distinctive scent of small animal-type beastfolk.

Because everyone passing through—

Was a furry girl.

And during their meal, several unexpected guests approached.

“Good morning, Mr. Allen! Miss Sylphy! Young Master Rudeus! Would you like us to serve you this morning? Mr. Allen, you’re looking much better than yesterday—seems like our services last night were to your satisfaction?”

Four beastgirls bowed in perfect unison in front of Allen. Though they were dressed far more conservatively than they had been the night before, their smiles were just as radiant.

Allen’s face went pale, and he frantically defended himself.

“The bed was great! Thanks! No need!”

Peals of laughter followed.

Rudy couldn’t help but glance sideways at him.

There’d been quite the commotion when those beastgirls left last night—he’d definitely heard it. But thanks to his previous life’s “social awareness,” he’d resisted the urge to peek. Instead, he’d simply listened intently. When the usual noises he often heard at night back home didn’t come, he’d lost interest and gone to sleep.

But now, seeing the teasing looks on those beastgirls’ faces, Old Neet’s dormant instincts stirred again. He couldn’t help but wonder—had he missed something crucial last night?

Before long, a pervy grin appeared on his face as well, and his gaze drifted toward the girls’ twitching animal ears. It was the same awestruck expression he’d worn the first time he saw beastfolk at the Boreas estate in the anime.

But the smile didn’t last long before his face froze.

Because in the corner of his eye—

He felt an intense stare.

Rudy slowly turned his head.

The look came from Sylphy’s expressionless face.

And the next second, under the table, Sylphy’s foot pressed firmly down on his.

“Ow!”

The beastgirls covered their mouths with giggles as they made a graceful exit.

Rudy grimaced in pain.

...

When the group returned to the classroom door, they were met with a surprising sight—

The red-haired wild dog was already there, arms crossed, lips pursed—clearly waiting expectantly!

“Good morning, Allen! Sylphy!”

The cheerful tone made it clear she’d completely forgotten falling asleep upright against the wall last night.

“Good morning, Allen, Rudy, Sylphy.”

Ghislaine stood beside her, formal and serious as always.

And next to her was Edna, who had left the night before.

“Good morning, everyone. Sleep well?”

“Not bad.”

Eris and Ghislaine had apparently just run into Edna. Eris turned to her, one eyebrow arching sharply.

“Didn’t you just arrive last night? It’s time for sword training this morning! Go on, get outta here—come back tonight! I don’t wanna take etiquette class right now!”

Edna sighed and turned toward her, pulling a piece of paper from her coat.

“Miss Eris, I’m actually here to discuss the class schedule with our new tutors.”

---

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!