Mushoku Tensei:The Successor Arc

POV: Lara Greyrat

Hey, hey! To all you esteemed readers out there, can you see me?

Hmph hmph! I, the great Lara, hereby declare that the story starring Rudeus is over! From now on, I will be the new protagonist, writing a new legend for you all!

Alright, before the legend begins, allow me to introduce myse—

Eh?

My neck kind of hurts. I think it's bleeding.

Apologies, we have a bit of a situation. It seems someone has put a sword to my neck.

—Not a huge deal.

Just a teensy-weensy threat to my life, is all.

...

Anyway, let's put a pin in the self-introduction for now.

It's probably best to resolve this situation before we discuss anything else.

Otherwise, if my head rolls, this legend is going to be a bit on the short side.

...

Right now, I'm slumped on the ground, and the bastard impersonating my father is staring down at me coldly.

His dead-fish eyes are a bit like Orsted's.

No, that's not right. Orsted is just stone-faced and numb; this guy actually has killing intent.

In short, I have a sharp blade held to my neck.

If his hand so much as twitches, I'll be meeting the Man-God and Dad ahead of schedule.

For convenience, let's just call him the "Imposter" for now.

I admit, it was a bit rash for a mage to attack a swordsman. But this Imposter was pretending to be my father, and I got so angry I wasn't thinking straight when I made my move.

And now, here we are.

Normally, I wouldn't lose. My divinations showed no outcome where I would be defeated.

But a person with powerful Fate has the right to rewrite the established future at will.

This battle has made one thing crystal clear to me:

—This Imposter's Fate is absurdly strong.

He's got to be the reason the future of this whole region has gone blurry.

The power of Fate I'm usually so proud of is completely useless against him.

I can even feel the scales of Fate constantly tipping in his favor.

What the heck? Don't tell me he's actually a Hero?

This is completely different from what I was told...

Not that I'm just some helpless maiden at his mercy, though.

There's another spell on my ring. Activating it would solve this crisis.

God-Rank Magic—Summon Dragon God!

Just kidding. It's just a notification-type spell.

I should set the notification level to maximum danger. A man with such powerful Fate is worthy of making Orsted himself come running.

Just as I was thinking that...

The Imposter's gaze seemed to hesitate.

Is he wondering what to do with me?

Heh heh. Just let me get this message out—and you'll be licking this grand lady's boots in no time.

Speaking of which...

...The sword in his hand seemed to tremble slightly.

It was too fast. I could only see an afterimage.

Can't be helped. A mage is truly at a disadvantage when a swordsman gets in close.

Zwing—!

The flash of the blade sliced across my hand.

"Arf!"

It hurts!

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

Did he cut my finger off?

No, it's just a slice, but he must have severed the nerves.

It's over. I can't send the notification anymore.

I looked up at him, a bit awkwardly.

"Stay still. Move again, and next time, I'll really cut it off."

The Imposter threatened, looking at me coldly.

How did he know this ring could send a notification!??

No, he couldn't have known.

He probably just sensed that my magic ring was trouble and decided to act.

If I offered it to him, would he let me go?

Oh god, don't tell me this grand lady is ACTUALLY going to end up licking someone's boots???

...

Calm down.

Calm down!

I don't usually panic like this.

But there's a crucial point right now.

—The strength of his Fate... is enough to extinguish my future.

Under normal circumstances, only someone with a powerful Fate is qualified to kill another with a great Fate—whether intentionally or not.

This is bad. It seems I'm in real danger.

I should probably forget about my pride for a moment. I need to figure out a way to survive...

...

A few minutes passed.

Just as my legs were going numb and I was contemplating how to beg for my life...

The man seemed to confirm that I wouldn't make any more sudden moves.

(Or maybe he just got tired of holding the sword. It looked pretty heavy to me... probably a cheap one.)

"Let's talk."

Hearing that, I breathed a sigh of relief. It seems he doesn't intend to kill me after all.

"But before that... tell that dog to get away."

He seems very wary of Leo, even though he effortlessly subdued him several times just now. What a coward.

I used telepathy to tell Leo to run off a little further.

Though I really wanted him to go get reinforcements... that's probably not possible.

After confirming Leo was far away, the sword at my neck was finally withdrawn.

It feels so good to breathe freely again.

However, the guy who can instantly kill a glass-cannon mage like me is still standing right in front of me. I can't let my guard down.

"First, tell me your reason for attacking me..."

As he spoke, he suddenly picked up my staff, the Aqua Heartia, and examined it with a slight frown.

He doesn't want this staff, does he?!

I suppressed the urge to snatch my father's staff back and began to compose my words.

"My name is Lara Greyrat. I am the daughter of Rudeus Greyrat, the 'Quagmire' of the Seven Great Powers..."

"'Quagmire,' huh? I remember that guy. Been dead for a few years, right?—Ah, sorry, didn't mean it like that."

His thoughtless remark made my blood boil.

Damn it. I can't beat him.

Calm down... Calm down.

"Wait, you said Quagmire's name was...? Rudi... Rudeus?"

So he's heard of my father's title, but he doesn't seem to know his name? Well... that's actually quite common.

"Ah, I see now."

He slapped his forehead as if he'd just realized something.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't intend to impersonate your esteemed father. It's just that the name..."

He caught on quick.

A moment later, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Actually, I have amnesia. I don't remember who I am. I just felt that the name 'Rudeus' was very familiar... so I..."

Wait. Is this guy really this reasonable?

He was radiating killing intent just a moment ago. (Ahem, miss, you were the one who attacked first.)

But it seems it was a misunderstanding.

"It's okay. It was my fault for attacking so suddenly, too."

"Since I was the one who caused the problem first, you don't need to worry about it."

We ended up apologizing to each other.

At this point, he didn't seem so detestable anymore.

"I'm sorry. I won't call myself Rudeus from now on."

He immediately promised.

Even though he was the one who won.

"By the way, this staff of yours..."

My eyelid twitched.

He can't really want it, can he?

I made up my mind. If he dares to take it, I'll bring everyone from Dragon God Inc. to get the Aqua Heartia back.

"Who gave it to you?"

"My father..."

Although it was strange that he knew the staff had a previous owner, I answered truthfully.

"Is that so... he's already passed away..."

"Looks like another lead has gone cold..."

He seemed a bit dejected.

He returned the staff to me, sheathed his sword, and looked as if he was about to turn and leave.

(Lara, several months later: Thinking back on it now, he was totally playing hard to get. The innocent me back then didn't notice a thing.)

"Hey!"

I called out to him.

"Did you want to see my father for some reason?"

"He might have met me before I lost my memories... I feel a sense of familiarity with his staff and his name."

Ah.

Dad was always running around the world saving all sorts of people, laying the groundwork for a future where the Man-God is killed.

Is this person in front of me one of them?

I can't be sure.

No. Regardless.

I can't just leave a Fate this massive unattended.

"If it's just about recovering your memories, I might be able to help, you know?"

He turned his head again, looking at me strangely.

I stood up, used a bit of healing magic on myself, and seeing he didn't have much of a reaction, I called Leo back.

When he saw Leo approaching, the man's brow furrowed, a hint of wariness in his eyes.

Then,

under my contemptuous gaze, he deliberately moved a little closer to me.

Hey, hey, your intention to use me as a hostage is way too obvious.

...What a coward.

Whatever. I'll just treat it as part of the deal.

"Do you know who I am?"

"You seem to be a young lady on a journey to save the world, but you feel very weak."

He said this while still eyeing Leo, looking a little scared.

"That last part was unnecessary."

"My apologies."

How rude. This guy has no tact at all.

I consider my combat abilities to be passable, at least.

Though I can't compare to that idiot little brother of mine.

But I can use Dad's [Lightning] and [Quagmire] chantlessly, and I can use [Disturb Magic] and [Mana Drain] with the help of my ring.

With Leo by my side, I wouldn't flinch even against a King- or Emperor-Ranked swordsman.

Don't be fooled by my appearance. Besides the Great Powers, not many people pose a threat to me.

Worst case scenario—if I can't win, I'll run.

And if that doesn't work, I'll call for backup.

But for some reason, none of it worked on this man.

And he... he seemed to know my magic inside and out.

This fight was so frustrating.

"In any case, as the savior, I have the ability to see Fate."

In reality, it's just that my divinations are a tiny bit more accurate than most.

A privilege that comes with having a powerful Fate.

"That sounds pretty mysterious."

"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it. Let me just show you."

I held the Aqua Heartia up to my flat chest and activated a divination spell.

A crystal ball would be better, but for a casual demonstration, this will do.

[Divination]

Reveal it! Fate!

...

Hmm. I can't see anything.

...

Ah...! I completely forgot, this guy's Fate is too strong to be categorized by conventional theory.

He's looking at me strangely, as if curious about my divination magic.

I'm starting to feel a little guilty.

"I see it... I see it..."

Uhh... what should I make up to fool him?

Got it.

"Your swordsmanship... you must have been taught by a master, haven't you..."

Even I feel like I'm stating the obvious. For someone so young to know the Sword of Light, it'd be strange if he didn't have a powerful teacher.

His eyes immediately went wide, and he stared at me in shock.

He bought it?!

Could he be a Sieg? (T/N: Sieg means 'idiot'.)

...Ahem!

That's right! Of course he'd believe it!

Everything is going according to my plan. Continue.

Let me show you the fruits of my, Lara Greyrat's, decades of bluffing experience!

"A land of white snow... surrounded by calamity... friends and family all departed..."

The Grand Art of the Bluff, Part 1—Vague Packaging.

Winter, amnesia, wandering around looking for someone to restore his memory... You take simple, known facts, wrap them in a layer of mystique, add a confident tone, and many people will start to think you're the real deal.

Just as I thought. He immediately fell into deep thought, as if pondering my words.

He won't figure anything out, though. Of course he won't.

—Because even I have no idea what I'm talking about.

After all, all diviners are frauds.

"Mmm... your Fate is unusually twisted..."

The Grand Art of the Bluff, Part 2—Reading the Room.

The moment I said that, he started to look thoughtful and resigned. That means my guess was correct.

"Well... a case like this is quite rare... It's been many years since I've handled one."

The Grand Art of the Bluff, Part 3—...

"Do you know how to restore my memories?!!"

He grabbed my shoulders excitedly.

Dude, ow, ow, ow.

I'm just a squishy mage, go easy on me.

Still, the bluff was a huge success.

"Woof woof!!" (Leo's warning bark)

"Ah... sorry, I got a little too excited."

Sensing the sweat on my brow, he finally let go of me with his big ol' paws.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Lara, have you handled a case of memory restoration before?"

His tone changed instantly.

Now that's the proper attitude for someone asking for a favor.

"But of course. Also, just call me Lara. If you want to show respect, you can call me 'Big Sis Lara'."

I should be older than him, right?

Most likely. Although my appearance stopped aging around ten due to my race, my actual age is... sorry, I don't want to say.

It's very impolite to be curious about a girl's age.

And please, no discussing it in the comments section.

The guy hesitated for a moment, seemingly reluctant to call me 'sis,' but under the allure of regaining his memories, he had no choice.

"Um, Big Sis... Lara, do you know how to restore my memories?"

He really said that 'sis' through gritted teeth—

What's your deal? Do you have some principle against it?

Whatever, I won't get hung up on it.

I do have a way to restore memories, though whether it will be effective is another story.

"Simply put, I'll use divination to find people who are close to you, like parents, a wife, or children. Then we'll see if being with them can bring your memories back. Even if it doesn't, you'll at least learn what kind of person you used to be."

I refuse to believe he won't remember a thing after meeting his own children or parents.

If he really meets, say, his own daughter, and still can't remember anything...

—Then he's probably a lost cause.

"Can divination really do something like that?"

"It can."

I'm not lying about this part. Even if I can't see his Fate clearly right now.

As long as I use a proper magic circle and tools, and spend more time with him, divining the fate of a powerful individual isn't impossible.

It's just a bit time-consuming.

Oh well, I came here to deal with him anyway.

"Before that, what should I call you?"

I can't let him keep calling himself Rudeus. It just feels weird to me.

"Ah... let me think. If I'm changing my name... how about Lug?"

Lu-g. Rudeus Greyrat. It's still pretty similar.

Hmm... Whatever. Since he wasn't impersonating him with malicious intent, Dad probably wouldn't mind too much.

Besides, the old man isn't in a position to mind anymore, anyway.

"Well then, I'll be in your care while I help you recover your memories, Lug. I might even have to trouble you with any tough enemies we run into."

"?!! You will? You're willing to go through all that trouble to help me find my memories?"

He suddenly got excited again.

Dude, stop grabbing my shoulders and shaking me, I'm getting dizzy.

Are you planning to shake me unconscious and then do something to me?

"You're a potential ally worth recruiting, after all. Besides, I won't let you call me 'Big Sis' for nothing."

"Big Sis Lara, thank you so much! I swear I'll do everything in my power to follow your commands during this time!"

What's with this resolve? It's like he's selling himself into my service.

Oh well, at least the outcome is good.

—And just like that, I gained a new little brother who was originally named Rudeus.