Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [116]

Allen stood in silence, staring at them.

The four beastkin maids were bowing, their heads lowered—yet that posture only made their traits more prominent.

From left to right: rabbit ears, wolf ears, dog ears, and cat ears.

The last one was a familiar face—the cat-eared girl who’d been sitting across from him on the return carriage from Roa.

After bowing in unison, the four of them straightened up, their expressions polite and sweet, hands clasped in front of them like well-trained dolls.

Four pairs of eyes met his.

Allen turned on his heel and left.

“Wrong room.”

As he stepped out, he instinctively moved to turn left—but paused, then pivoted and headed right instead.

While he hesitated, the cat-eared girl approached from behind.

“As expected, your reaction is exactly like what Young Master Philip described. You misunderstood. We’re here to make your bed. Miss Sylphy and Young Master Rudeus’s rooms have already been prepared. You’re the last one.”

Allen turned around with a helpless expression.

He looked only at her eyes, deliberately avoiding the beastly ears atop her head.

“Let me guess—that line was from Philip too? Since when do you start from both ends of the hallway and save the middle room for last?”

The cat girl chuckled but gave no reply. After a moment, she shook her head.

“It was actually Madam’s suggestion. She said that since all of you traveled so far, and one of you even saved Lady Eris’s life, while another is the son of Lord Paul, it’s only proper to treat you well—both out of etiquette and gratitude.”

Allen listened to the evasive reply, then sighed and stepped aside.

“Fine, I get it. Thank the lady for me. You can go now.”

The cat-eared girl nodded.

“Understood. Then we’ll take our leave. Good night, Allen-sama.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Allen saw the four of them bow in unison again.

Then, one by one, they walked past him.

The distinct scent of beastkin brushed past his nose—mixed with faint but layered perfume.

As the door closed behind them, Allen promptly reached out and shut it tight.

But the next second, with his keen Water God-style awareness, he caught every word of their conversation outside.

Things like:

“Wow, he’s way more innocent than I thought for an adventurer~”

Or:

“He’s got a great body, but totally useless in that department~”

And:

“Too bad~ and he even took a proper bath~”

Finally, the cat girl’s voice drifted back:

“Eh? Miss Sylphy, you’re still awake? Is the bedding uncomfortable?”

“.…No, thank you.”

The soft sound of a door closing followed.

Allen stared at the door, dazed.

His head had been full of thoughts all day—and yet somehow, this nonsense from Philip still managed to get under his skin.

“What the hell was that supposed to be?!”

He turned and walked to the desk, collapsing into the cushioned chair. Leaning back, he gazed up at the ceiling overhead.

After last night’s brutal midnight assault, this morning’s public execution, and an afternoon that had worn even Eris out, Allen had been running at full tension all day. His mind was exhausted, his temples faintly throbbing.

And yet… he wasn’t the least bit sleepy.

Time ticked by, second by second.

At last, he closed his eyes. Inhaled deeply. Then exhaled.

Opened his eyes again.

Reached for the drawer.

He pulled out pen and paper, setting them on the desk.

Candlelight flickered across his face as he began to write.

Two words were scrawled across the top of the page:

「Great Teleportation」

Below it:

「Scope: Fittoa Region」

It’s currently spring. From the start of the tutoring period until Rudeus’s birthday, there are just over three years left.

There are no visible traces of magical disturbance over Roa yet—no signs of the spatial distortion caused by the teleportation spell.

No, that’s not quite right—it already exists. It’s been present since Rudeus’s birth. But it’s not yet something that can be seen with the naked eye.

In the anime, it appeared as a sphere wrapped in magical “ribbons.”

Allen squinted at the words “Great Teleportation,” then circled them in ink.

He started to write inside the circle—but changed his mind and began outside it instead.

Buena Village: Paul, Zenith, Lilia, Norn, Aisha, Laws, Nolda.

The best way to prevent tragedy is to keep all of them far from the teleportation zone. Even if I manage to rescue Zenith early on, I can’t guarantee she won’t end up in the same state as the original—turned into a Godchild, with “sensory disassociation” or something like it.

Base contingency plan: If there’s no safe opportunity, I’ll knock them all out and haul them away by cart.

The pen moved again.

Roa City: Allen, Rudeus, Eris, Sylphy.

Uncertain individuals. Should I still allow Rudeus and Eris to be teleported to the Demon Continent? Rudeus’s fate is strong—he’ll almost certainly land there safely. But Sylphy… right now, I have no way of predicting her trajectory. The teleportation is random and makes no sense. By bringing her here to Roa, have I prevented her from ever arriving in the Capital, like she did in the original timeline?

And me? I’m someone who was never teleported in the original. Should I go with Rudeus? If all four of us teleport together, will Rudeus still land safely? Do I dare take that gamble?

Allen paused, then lifted his pen decisively and wrote:

Base contingency plan: Rudeus and Eris—undecided. Judge the situation when the time comes. Sylphy—I’ll personally remove her from the area. All four of us will avoid the teleportation entirely, risk-free.

He flexed his wrist after finishing.

Next:

Philip. Sauros.

Allen narrowed his eyes, scenes from the day flashing through his mind.

His gaze drifted to Eris’s name.

Then, he pressed his pen to paper.

And wrote both of their names inside the teleportation circle.

Philip—obsessed with power in the Capital. In the original story, he used his daughter as bait to lure Rudeus into marrying into the family, hoping to reclaim the family headship. Even sent misleading letters to Paul to imply Rudeus had agreed.

Even if I play saint and get him out…

Will he just try to drag me into Asura Kingdom politics again, using the Fittoa disaster as leverage?

Judging by today, he’d probably be even worse.

Sauros—for him, family honor comes first. To him, the “righteousness” of tradition trumps blood ties. Though he doted on Eris as a child, he ultimately enabled Philip’s political scheming. He survived the teleportation, returned to the Capital, and spent all his fortune trying to rebuild the territory.

Even if I play saint and get him out…

What’s the point? Am I supposed to evacuate the entire Fittoa Region?

To him, the safety of his family doesn’t outweigh the importance of the land. Even when the frontlines were this close, he didn’t investigate. He let Philip and Hilda die in…

Allen’s pen froze.

He stared at the names he’d just written, lost in thought.

The image resurfaced—fountain mist, the red dress, and Hilda’s tear-streaked face under the sun.

After a moment, he pulled himself out of the memory and kept writing.

Hilda—Eris relies on her deeply. In the original, once she accepted Rudeus as family, she wanted Eris to marry him and make that bond real.

From what I’ve seen so far, she’s the only sane member of the Boreas household.

His pen stopped again.

The ink bled across the page.

Late spring moonlight—unlike the soft glow of Buena Village—spilled through the window.

It lit the desk in pale silver.

Cool to the touch.

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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!