Mushoku Tensei: The Fool Magician

Ghislaine raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Roy. With a puzzled expression, she asked, "Is this your daughter? The letter said there would be two boys learning swordsmanship from me."

Roy felt a pang of déjà vu, reminiscent of his first meeting with Roxy. It seemed history was repeating itself.

With a resigned sigh, Roy bowed politely, performing a textbook-perfect gesture of respect. "Greetings, I am Paul's eldest son, Roy Greyrat. You may call me Roy."

Rudeus followed suit. "I'm Paul's second son, Rudeus Greyrat. You can call me Rudeus."

Ghislaine nodded approvingly. "As Paul's children, at least you seem polite. Just call me Ghislaine. Now, get on the carriage."

With that, she strode forward in large, confident steps and climbed aboard.

The carriage driver, a weathered middle-aged man with sun-darkened skin, sat lazily smoking a pipe.

Zenith waved tearfully as the carriage began to roll away, carrying the two boys toward an uncertain future. Rudeus gazed longingly at their home, his eyes misty.

He took in the familiar sights one last time, the small tree with yellow blossoms that he had diligently tended to every day, and the gate with the dent he had accidentally created with a water spell.

The thought of leaving behind Sylphy—her sweet face, her soft hands—filled Rudeus with an aching melancholy. He sighed deeply, his heart heavy with longing.

Roy, observing his younger brother's dramatic display, scoffed with visible disdain.

Typical Rudeus, always looking for ways to avoid difficult situations instead of facing them head-on.

As they settled into the carriage, Ghislaine pulled out a letter. "This is from Zenith, she said Paul wrote it, but I can't read. One of you read it for me."

Curious, Rudeus asked, "Then how did you know what was in the previous letters? You mentioned before that Paul wrote to you about us."

Ghislaine replied nonchalantly, "I had someone else read them for me." She handed the letter to Rudeus, who was seated closest.

Nodding in understanding, Rudeus opened the envelope and began to read. "Dear Rudeus and Roy, if you're reading this letter, I'm afraid I'm no longer in this world…"

"What?" Ghislaine exclaimed, leaping to her feet in alarm.

Roy looked up at the towering beastwoman. Honestly, he hadn't expected the carriage's roof to be this high.

"Please sit down, Ghislaine. There's more." Rudeus said calmly, gesturing for her to take her seat.

"Oh, alright." Ghislaine sat back down, her expression still tense.

Roy couldn't help but suppress a chuckle. The sudden shift in tone felt almost surreal.

Rudeus continued reading, "That was a joke. I've always wanted to write something like that. You're probably confused about what's going on, but you can ask the muscle-headed fool in front of you for details… though, honestly, her brain is probably just as muscle-packed as the rest of her body, so she might not explain it properly."

"WHAT?!" Ghislaine roared, standing up again.

Roy leaned over to glance at the letter and said casually, "Sit down, Ghislaine. The next part is a compliment."

"Oh, is that so?" Ghislaine sat back down immediately, her reaction so earnest that Roy found her oddly endearing.

Amused, Roy observed her with growing interest. This person is unexpectedly entertaining.

Meanwhile, Rudeus glanced at his golden-haired older brother, who was clearly suppressing a smirk. From Roy's subtle expressions, Rudeus could tell he was plotting something mischievous.

Shaking his head, Rudeus resumed reading. "This muscle-head is a Sword King. If you want to learn swordsmanship, you won't find a better teacher unless you travel to the holy land of swords. I can personally vouch for her skill because I've never beaten her… except in bed."

Roy clicked his tongue, muttering, "Paul never learns, does he?"

Rudeus's face twitched, his patience wearing thin. Why does he always have to write such unnecessary things? Stupid Paul!

Fortunately, Ghislaine didn't seem particularly offended. Her neutral expression gave Rudeus a small sense of relief.

At least for now, they wouldn't have to deal with her wrath. The stoic warrior woman, despite her intimidating demeanor, appeared surprisingly tolerant—though Rudeus couldn't shake the feeling that she was not someone to cross.

"Well, as for Rudeus's assignment, he will travel to the largest city in the Fittoa territory to work as a private tutor for a certain young lady. Your job will be to teach her arithmetic, reading, writing, and basic magic. However, let me warn you—she's an incredibly spoiled and unruly girl. She's so wild that she doesn't even attend school, and she's driven away several tutors already. But I trust you'll figure out a way to handle her."

Rudeus muttered under his breath, "Figure it out myself, huh? So, I'm supposed to solve everything on my own..." He couldn't help but feel puzzled that the letter didn't mention Roy's assignment right away.

Glancing further down, he resumed reading. "As for Roy, with his strength, he should be able to master all of Ghislaine's sword techniques in no time. Once he's capable of defeating her, he should head to the Holy Land of Swords. By then, even the masters there will take good care of him."

Ghislaine raised an eyebrow as she studied Roy intently.

The sunlight filtering through the curtains fell gently on Roy's face, highlighting his soft, golden hair tied neatly behind him. His youthful, delicate features carried a quiet elegance, and his striking crimson-gold eyes exuded a subtle, dignified aura. Combined with his radiant hair, Roy's presence held an almost magnetic charm.

"Interesting." Ghislaine remarked in her usual calm tone. "Paul says you'll quickly learn all my sword techniques."

Her voice didn't carry any resentment—only surprise at Paul's high praise for his son.

Rudeus, still holding the letter, continued, "For the next five years, you'll be living at the young lady's estate as her tutor. Five years. During this time, you're forbidden from returning home or writing letters. As long as you're around, Sylphy won't learn to be independent. In fact, I suspect both of you have grown overly dependent on each other. So, I'm enforcing this separation. If anything goes wrong, your older brother will be there to support you. Whether Roy chooses to help or not is up to him."

"Five years?!" Rudeus exclaimed, his voice tinged with shock and despair.

The interruption of his carefully crafted growth plan left him feeling disheartened and deflated.

Roy, glancing at him with a hint of irritation, retorted, "What's with that face? We're about to train under Ghislaine. Maybe it's time you toned down your usual antics and focused a bit more on improving yourself."

With a resigned sigh, Rudeus reluctantly accepted the harsh reality. But then, as though a sudden thought sparked within him, his eyes lit up with hope. Turning toward Roy, he fixed his gaze on his older brother with a look of pure expectation.

"Nii-san, you're always so good to me. You'll help me out, won't you?"

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

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