Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as a Beast Race

POV: Ghislaine Adoldia

Recently, I experienced a completely new feeling.

I didn't really know what it was. It was uncomfortable and left a strange taste in my mouth, as if something were wrong, even when everything seemed right. It was truly new. Unexpected. Unwelcome.

It happened for the first time when Rygar introduced me to his master, Verdia Solarion.

A powerful and wise mage. A magnificent, seasoned strategist. And she had those golden, sun-bright hair, curious and lively eyes that made you sympathize with her almost without realizing it.

Verdia was the kind of woman who filled a room, but gently, not forcefully. She spoke calmly, but her words carried weight. She knew what she was saying and made everyone around her feel like they could trust her.

Mentally, I had already accepted that Rygar wanted to take her as his wife. He wanted that even before he met me, actually.

And that wasn't a problem. Or at least, I thought it wasn't?

I always imagined that Rygar would have more wives than just me. It was natural. He was Rygar. Strong, charismatic, determined… many would desire him, and he would have reasons to desire several of them.

When Eris became Rygar's wife, I was happy for her. Eris was no longer the aggressive child I had trained in the Boreas mansion. She was now an admirable, strong woman.

I think that, until the moment she became a Sword King, I still saw her a bit as that bold, impulsive girl.

But after that… I was forced to acknowledge her for who she truly had become. Her determination and talent knew no bounds.

She achieved the rank of Sword King younger than anyone else in history. Except, of course, Rygar. But he was always an exception.

The point is: I had no problem with Eris becoming his wife. So… why did I feel uncomfortable meeting Verdia?

I couldn't figure it out.

Rygar seemed to notice my oddness but chose not to say anything.

During the month we stayed in Tinaver before the War Council, I decided to ask Aisha.

Yes, Aisha. An eight-year-old girl. But underestimating her intelligence was a mistake I had already made before, and I wouldn't make it again.

She also reminded me of Lilia, whom I turned to when I needed to understand things that made no sense to me—things having to do with emotions and such.

So, I went ahead and told her everything.

She asked me several questions. Direct. Objective. Some even embarrassing. But I answered them one by one, and in the end… she came to a conclusion.

"You're jealous, Ghislaine."

Jealousy. That word echoed in my mind like the clash of sharp blades.

I had never known such a feeling until that day, actually. So, I struggled to believe it at first. But, as always, Aisha explained clearly and logically why she was sure it was jealousy.

According to her, I had mentioned Rygar's conversations with Verdia many times. Conversations about magic, magic circles, the Legion's resource management… and even about his childhood stories.

And I couldn't fit into them with the same enthusiasm. I didn't have the same knowledge as they did on those subjects. And that made me feel sidelined. It wasn't something I would admit easily, but it was true.

Strangely… when I discovered this, I felt happy.

I was jealous. And that was kind of cool. Or wasn't it? Maybe. I don't know. But it was different. After all, I had never felt jealousy before, so that had to mean something.

Anyway, the next day, I went to Rygar and said directly:

"I'm jealous of your master."

He looked at me for a second, smiled, and said:

"Let's train."

And that's what we did. We trained all day. Every strike, every block, every movement full of intensity, sweat, and frustration melting into action.

And afterward… we ended the training day in an even hotter way. In a way only the two of us knew. Intense enough to evaporate any trace of doubt inside me.

As I expected, Rygar managed to dispel my jealousy with ease. Both with words and with actions, with touches, with his presence.

He clearly explained to me the difference between me and his master, Verdia. What distinguished us and what he liked in each of us.

He and Aisha were similar in that sense. They explained everything clearly. Objectively. With the difference that Rygar used more than words.

It was… different.

Since then, I haven't felt that uncomfortable feeling again. Verdia remained an excellent mage, a brilliant strategist, and a remarkable woman.

But I was an equally fearsome swordswoman. Rygar had shown me—with great effort—that he still desired me with the same intensity as always. Even with his master around.

Perhaps even more.

And that was enough for me.

---

My new position upon returning to the Great Forest was, to say the least, interesting.

Even with all the assurances Rygar had given me, deep down, I still feared the possibility of rejection. I couldn't help it.

Throughout my childhood, the most vivid memory my tribe seemed to have of me was that of an uncontrollable girl, too fierce, too brutal, a beast among beasts.

It was a past I couldn't change, only deal with, and I was already preparing to face harsh looks and uncomfortable silences.

But it was exactly the opposite.

I was received with enthusiasm, with joy… and, above all, with respect.

At first, I attributed this reaction to Rygar's authority. He was the leader of the Iron Legion, and his word carried weight. But over time, I realized there was something more.

People seemed to respect me. For my strength. It was a bit strange to think about.

Eris seemed to be going through something similar. She also was surprised by the respect she received, although she didn't show it as much.

That was somewhat surprising to me, actually, but not so shocking when I stopped to think about it. The main reason I was unwanted back then was my lack of control.

Currently, not only did I no longer have that problem, but I could confidently declare that I was the strongest living woman of the beast race. And that meant something here.

Those who had known me before, or only heard stories, were astonished to learn that I could now read, write, do arithmetic, and use magic—something I was proud to have achieved. It was a different kind of pride.

It was also during this period that I learned something unexpected: my brother, Gyes, had become a North Saint.

For a moment, the memory of how I treated him in our youth came to mind. I had been cruel, impatient, aggressive, and quite uncontrollable. I definitely caused him many problems back then. When I saw him again, I would apologize.

In the Iron Legion, my authority was… confusing. People treated me with subservience, but I wasn't used to giving orders. I ignored most of those attitudes.

I ended up getting closer only to those who were strong enough not to act submissively. It was with them that I could speak naturally.

Eris, in fact, was doing much better than me in this respect.

It wasn't as though she was arrogantly bossing everyone around; it was just that she had no problem giving orders. In fact, it seemed to be in her blood.

Still, she didn't enjoy bossing people around, and in that, we were more alike.

Those were wartime. Rygar had told me I would command a Division, so I worked hard to learn the basics of leading troops.

He explained that there were two types of generals: strategists and instinctive ones. I was clearly the instinctive type. And according to him, I would do well as a frontline commander.

I was pleased with that.

To learn more, I asked other experienced commanders how they handled leadership. Verdia introduced me to Gretta, a Demon King.

It was with her that I learned most things about leadership in combat. Gretta, despite being intelligent, was also the instinctive type, which made my understanding easier.

Everything was going perfectly.

I had many tasks that month, and then, two days before the Council, I received a letter. It was from Elinalise.

Upon reading the letter—without difficulty, thanks to my constant reading practice—I remembered something that had escaped my attention due to having so many things to do.

They asked about Paul's death, how he had died. They requested that I contact Tallhand as soon as possible; he would be in the Dwarves' territory waiting for an answer. Finally, they asked that, if it were within my reach, I save Zenith.

Of course, I already knew that Rygar intended to rescue Zenith. It was something he wanted to do because he wanted to be able to explain himself to Lilia. Even so, I spoke with him, just to confirm.

Training that day, I began to reflect on my old group. They seemed so distant now.

I still considered them my friends, including Paul, even though he had been killed by Rygar. But perhaps it was the circumstances of his death that made me not care so much.

Paul had become an enemy of Rygar. And when I married Rygar, his enemies became mine too.

From what I heard, Paul probably didn't know he was attacking Rygar's master at that time. Even so, he did it. And Rygar, in turn, didn't even know it was Paul. Honestly, even if he had known, I wouldn't have cared.

Even if the other members of the group decided to take revenge on Rygar, I would still follow him.

Even if my master, Gall Farion, became Rygar's enemy, I would follow him. Just as I know Rygar would make anyone his enemy to protect me.

That was how it was.

---

While I was in a tent at the military camp, studying Intermediate Healing Magic, I heard a voice call me from outside:

"Aunt Ghislaine!"

I looked aside, and there was my oldest niece, Linia Dedoldia. I responded simply:

"Hm? What is it, Linia?"

The girl replied with her quick, energetic voice:

"General Verdia wants to speak with you! She also called some other important commanders to the main tent!"

To my surprise, I got along very well with my niece. Linia seemed to admire my strength, and I enjoyed her company.

There was something about her that reminded me a bit of Eris. It was that restless energy, the sparkle in her eyes when talking about battle, and the overall feeling was similar.

"All right… Let's go."

Today, I wasn't wearing my usual light clothes. In a large-scale war, Rygar recommended I wear armor, so that's what I did.

Although it was light armor, it was still made of shiny, dark-gray steel plates, with the Beast God symbol engraved on the chest.

It was practical, allowed me to move with agility, and offered much greater protection than my normal robes.

Linia was wearing similar armor, but smaller, adapted to her size and fighting style.

As one of the two Generals commanding the Second Vanguard Division, everyone considered me cold and intimidating.

Although, to be honest, I hadn't done anything different. I simply acted as always, led in battle with firmness, and killed anyone who stood in the way of victory.

Verdia said that wasn't a bad thing, so I decided to trust her words and set that thought aside.

The golden-haired mage had a calm and gentle manner, yet still fun, and reminded me of a mix between Zenith and Elinalise. That made it easy to talk to her.

And since she actively sought my friendship, we ended up getting along well.

Walking between the tents, I noticed the looks that followed me. But I was already used to it.

Interestingly, since my return to the Great Forest, the lustful glances from men had practically disappeared.

Maybe it was because of the armor… but I knew that, for the most part, it was because of Rygar. No one would dare try anything with his wife.

Finally, we arrived at the larger stone building at the center of the camp. There, the commanders of that division were gathered. In the center of the room, in front of the large regional map, stood Verdia. When she saw me enter, she smiled.

All the leaders present turned and greeted me with respect. I responded with a simple nod, and went straight to the point:

"Why did you call us? I thought the next march was already decided."

Verdia kept her smile, but her eyes were serious. Then, calmly, she replied:

"It was… But I have new information."

With her finger, she pointed to a region on the map, tracing one of the mountain trails we planned to take.

"In the Upper Brook Range… we will be ambushed. By no less than three Milis Generals and the Silver Army."

The room fell into a dense silence. Glances crossed, some trying to gauge the gravity of the situation, others simply absorbing the information.

I simply said:

"All right. So, what do we do?"

-----

Hello! If you want to support my writing, check out my subscription P@treon

By subscribing, you will get access to up to 20 advanced chapters of the Webnovel and polls to decide various things about the story.

Your support will encourage me to continue writing more chapters! Check it out here: pa treon.com/DaoistJunkYard