Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and Romance!

After walking for a while, Rudeus turned back and looked at the Greyrat home from a distance. He clapped his hands twice and bowed his head reverently.

Paul, Zenith—enjoy yourselves. Sorry for the past few days of restraint.

Allen glanced at him sideways.

"Do you usually play with the village kids? Or have you ever seen anyone arguing, or bullying someone?"

Rudeus blinked in surprise.

"No… As for bullying, I don't really recall seeing any. I just greet people when I pass by. I have seen groups of children playing together, but I usually avoid them—I don't intend to join in."

Is this guy trying to play the role of a wandering hero?

"Do the kids ever go far from the village to play?"

"Uh, not that I've seen. They usually stay near the farmland."

"Farmland, huh… Are there identifiable plants there?"

"…Huh?"

Rudeus looked at Allen, confused.

What's with this guy? Is he kinda… clueless about daily life?

"Probably… not?"

"Alright. Let's head to the farmland, then."

Rudeus eyed Allen. The guy hadn't ignored his words—he'd clearly intended to go there all along.

What's this guy up to?

Then Allen added calmly:

"Whichever field is closest to the group of kids playing."

Rudeus's expression shifted to one of realization.

Ah, so he's trying to make friends. Classic emotionally starved type. Seems calm and composed, but probably likes connecting with others...

...

"What about this one?"

"That's a weed."

"And this?"

"That's wheat."

"Oh~ and this one?"

"…That's also a weed."

Rudeus twitched as he watched Allen, half-heartedly identifying weeds while clearly distracted.

Oi oi, are you even trying?! You're not here for the plants at all!

Allen was keeping one eye on a group of playing kids nearby. Among them, a taller, chubby boy was barking orders at the others.

Allen turned back, saw the look of exasperation on Rudeus's face, and smiled teasingly. He pointed at a flower that looked similar to lavender from his previous life and asked:

"What about this one?"

Rudeus's eyes lit up.

Finally! Not a weed! Allen, you're finally getting it!

"That's a Bartyls flower."

"A what now?"

"Bartyls flower."

"What kind of 'something-silk' flower?"

"…Bartyls flower."

"Oh~ Bartylings flower?"

"…"

Seeing Allen's smirk, Rudeus realized he was being played. Just as he was about to get annoyed, Allen's brows rose slightly, feigning seriousness.

"…I mean, it really is called Bartyls flower."

"Listen—"

"What kind of what-silk flower?"

Then came shouting from the distance. Rudeus turned and saw that Allen had already straightened up, his posture sharp and focused, one hand on the hilt of his sword. In that moment, Rudeus thought he looked like a panther closing in on prey.

He followed Allen's gaze toward the noise.

A gust of wind pressed the young wheat shoots flat. In the near distance, a group of children stood at the edge of a rice paddy, pushing and shoving a much smaller figure.

Their voices drifted over.

"Look, the demon brat's here again!"

"Yeah! Time to kick her out of the village again!"

"She never fights back—let's throw mud at her!"

"Great idea!"

The little devils rushed into the water and started scooping up mud, laughing gleefully.

Allen watched them with an eerily calm expression, but the way his fingers rubbed at his sword hilt betrayed his tension.

After a while, seeing that Rudeus hadn't moved, he frowned and looked over.

Rudeus met his gaze.

The two locked eyes for a moment of silent tension.

Allen glanced at the small figure trembling by the water's edge—too afraid even to run. He raised an eyebrow and asked:

"There's a kid getting bullied right in front of us. Didn't you see it? Or do you just enjoy being bullied too?"

A flash of irritation crossed Rudeus's face. He took a deep breath and replied in a calm voice—but with lightning-fast delivery.

"I saw it, obviously. But today you're with me. I get what you're thinking, but if I go and scold those brats, their parents might come complain. Knowing how hotheaded my dad is, he might assume I started the fight and scold me. But you're different. He likes you. He probably won't even ask—he'll just take your side. So it's better if you go."

Allen stared at him like he was a glowing green bag of trash.

"You go. Even if you hurt them, just tell Paul I did it. I'll take responsibility."

Rudeus was startled. He clearly hadn't expected Allen to say that.

Just then, the kids in the paddy were holding their globs of mud high, ready to throw.

Rudeus was still processing when he noticed something glinting in his peripheral vision. He turned instinctively—and saw Allen drawing his sword.

His pupils shrank.

"Wait! Hold on—!"

A flash of steel.

Allen flung the blade through the air. It spun rapidly, arching over the bullied child's head. Light flared along the edges of the blade, like something invisible had collided with it midair.

Clang—the sword stabbed into the ground right in front of the bullied child.

The group of kids shrieked.

The small figure collapsed backward, legs giving out beneath them.

Rudeus's whole body jolted. He rushed forward, heart pounding.

He found the blade buried harmlessly in the ground just inches from the child's leg—emitting a low hum. Mud splattered across the child's body had stopped mid-flight and now lay around them in a scattered mess. The throw had been intercepted—cleanly.

Rudeus stood there, mouth open in shock. Slowly, his gaze rose to the child.

She was staring at the blade, stunned. Then she seemed to sense Rudeus looking and turned to meet his eyes.

Wind tousled her half-length hair, and in the sunlight, it shimmered with a brilliant green hue.

Rudeus froze.

"Superd tribe…?"

"There are no Superds here."

Rudeus turned—Allen had walked up behind him, face expressionless. His gaze was fixed on the boys in the paddy, who were now glaring back at him in stunned silence.

The tallest one suddenly shouted:

"So what if you're a knight's kid?! Defending a demon brat?! And you—just 'cause you're tall, you think you can throw swords at us?! Who do you think you are?!"

Before he could finish, Allen slashed the air beside him with a hand like a blade.

Boom—a shockwave tore through the ground at the edge of the paddy, digging a trench and flinging up clods of dirt.

Rudeus, who had been standing idly nearby, got a full face of flying mud.

The kids panicked.

They turned to run—only for a splash of water to erupt in front of them. When it cleared, Allen's sword stood upright, gleaming, embedded in the rice paddy.

Allen calmly lowered his throwing hand, eyes on the frozen kids. He glanced at the equally stunned Rudeus and said coldly:

"Step out of the paddy. Form a line in front of me. I'll count to three. If anyone runs, I'll cut off their head."

"Three."

Rudeus finally processed what was happening. He wiped the mud off his face, turned to Allen, and said hesitantly:

"Teacher Allen, maybe that's enough. What they did was awful, but they're still just kids. Let's not take it too far. If their parents come complaining, it'll be a huge hassle…"

This guy! Reckless! Sure, bullies are scum, but what if this spirals? How am I supposed to explain this to Paul?!

Allen ignored him.

"Two."

The boys scrambled out of the water and lined up in front of Allen, trembling all over.

Allen asked:

"Which of you is the oldest?"

No response.

Allen reached toward the paddy, as if to retrieve his sword.

"Nine! I'm nine!!"

Allen smiled and turned to Rudeus.

"What a coincidence. Same age as me. So, I'm just a kid too. Don't hold it against me, alright?"

Rudeus opened his mouth, but couldn't find a single word to say.