Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [110]

The surface of the water was inches from his face—Thomas could feel the tip of his nose already submerged. He was just about to spit out a fabricated name, anything to buy time.

But before he could get the lie out—

Allen shoved him back into the water.

This time, the submersion dragged on.

Long enough for Thomas’s lungs to flood, his chest to fill, and the soft tissues of his lungs to soak through—only then was he yanked back out.

He emerged choking, gasping, and hacking up water, but Allen’s tone had shifted entirely.

No longer the calm, drawling voice from before—

Now it was sharp. Relentless. Cutting into Thomas’s ear like a blade.

“Who?”

“Cough! D-Darius!!”

“Lie.”

“It was him!”

—Submerged.

Yanked back up.

“Who?”

A sob in his voice now.

“Cough cough!! Darius!! It was Darius!! I’m not lying, I swear!!”

“Lie.”

“No!!”

“Who else?”

“Darius said he hired someone else too! I don’t know who!”

“Lie.”

—Submerged. Raised again.

“Who’s the helper?”

“Cough cough cough!! I really don’t know! I swear I don’t!!!”

“How did you pass on the intel?”

“A letter! A letter!!”

“Where is it?”

Thomas hesitated for just a moment—

Then came the force again, water looming wide in his pupils.

“Under the bed!!! It’s under the bed!!!”

How much pain—how much fear—can waterboarding inflict?

The fact that Thomas lost control of his bladder likely answered that.

His whole body trembled. He stared at the gently rippling surface of the fountain just inches away.

Ripples—harmless little ripples, the kind that danced every day in sunlight.

Now, they looked like the yawning mouth of a bottomless abyss.

He swallowed hard, throat convulsing, then slowly turned his eyes—

And there, very close—

A pair of dark gray pupils, hovering just above the surface of the water.

Unblinking.

This was the gaze of death.

Then—

That death spoke.

“Are you afraid?”

“…”

“Terrified?”

“…”

“Do you want to die?”

Thomas trembled. But he clenched his jaw and forced out a response.

“N-no…”

Then he saw a smile forming in those dead gray eyes.

Death… smiling?

No way that’s pity. That’s not possible…

Tears and snot poured from his face. He broke down, sobbing.

“I’m sorry—I was wrong! Just—just kill me! Make it quick, use your sword! Kill me, just kill me!”

Allen stared down at him, watching as a tangible fear filled his eyes, pooling like blood.

He grinned.

It was a radiant smile.

And to Thomas, under the bright spring sun, it felt like a sudden winter chill.

Then Allen’s voice came, soft and gentle by contrast—

“Start praying to the water.”

And down he went again.

Thomas thrashed with everything he had.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five minutes.

Only when his body finally gave out—no breath, no struggle—did Allen pull him up again, and toss him aside like a sack of garbage.

Thomas landed on the ground, his face still frozen in fear. Water trickled from his nose, mouth, and ears.

The sound of the fountain splashing became crystal clear in the sudden silence.

Allen turned to look at Sauros.

In his hands were several letters. His face was ashen.

Beside him, Ghislaine gave Allen a nod.

Earlier, just before Allen stepped forward, he’d whispered to her:

“Ghislaine, I need a favor. Once Thomas starts talking, help me find the proof he mentions—immediately—and hand it over to Sauros. Can you do that?”

“...I don’t really get it, but if he talks, I’ll do it.”

Now—

Philip stood off to the side, eyes lowered in the shadow cast by sunlight. But behind those half-lidded eyes was a flicker of pride.

A fierce one.

A thrill.

Once again, Allen had exceeded expectations. Once again, he’d made the perfect choice.

By forcing Thomas to reveal James’s involvement, Allen had given Sauros no choice but to choose sides.

That should’ve been Philip’s move.

But Allen hadn’t hesitated for even a second. He’d grasped the situation instantly—figured out the only way to stay in Sauros’s good graces while the man still suspected his identity.

The answer had been clear.

Evidence.

Cold, hard, indisputable evidence.

This—this was the kind of talent Philip needed. This was his son.

Thud.

Thomas’s corpse was kicked across the stone, skidding to a stop in Philip’s view.

Those gray, lifeless eyes locked with his.

Philip slowly raised his head.

Allen stood nearby, staring at him.

Expressionless.

That stare—his son’s stare—made Philip’s thoughts scatter like a cut kite.

His mind raced.

What is he thinking?

Is it…

Intimidation?

Mockery?

Blame?

He couldn’t tell.

But one thing was certain: Allen’s mood was not a good one.

Philip froze. He looked away, gaze falling on the body at his feet.

Thomas was dead.

Utterly, cleanly dead.

Sauros had finished reading the letters. His brows knit so tight they looked like a knot. He clutched the papers, his expression dark.

Then he looked at Allen.

A long, heavy gaze.

After a moment, he spoke.

Still loud as ever.

But the content of his words?

Completely different from before.

“...Very well. You’re Allen, the adventurer, yes? You have my approval. Stay. Teach Eris swordsmanship properly.”

He turned and walked away.

Eris blinked, confused—but her joy was unmistakable.

She sprang from Sauros’s loosened grip and darted straight to Allen.

Sauros spared her a glance, then shook his head and left.

“Allen’s so amazing—hmph! Grandpa acknowledged you, so Eris acknowledges you too!”

Gone was the flustered tsundere tone.

She crossed her arms, proud and satisfied.

But then she turned—

And her eyes fell on Thomas’s body.

The same familiar steward who had once stood beside her every day—now mutilated, killed by Allen’s own hands.

Her face went pale.

Sylphy and Rudeus mirrored her expression.

All three of them—these “three little ones”—had been thoroughly shaken by what they’d just witnessed.

Because the side of Allen they’d seen just now—

Was nothing like the warm, kind person they thought they knew.

This…

This was something else entirely.

Had Allen done it on purpose?

Yes.

All the twisted family rules, the constant testing, the sudden assassination—he’d been bottling up resentment for a long time.

And Sauros’s arrogant dismissal, his cold and lofty judgment—

That had been the final spark.

Could he have handled it differently?

Yes.

But Allen hadn’t wanted to.

He wanted to let it burn.

He wanted to kill Thomas himself.

To hell with the Boreas family.

He’d had enough.

---

T/N: burnnnnn

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!