Reborn in Mushoku Tensei

A/N: This is the start of a new volume!! It's the (Darius assassination arc) I'm very thankful for everyone giving me power stones I'm climbing the rankings pretty fast. We keep hitting these milestones so fast i feel like I'm in a Chinese sweat shop the way I'm pumping these chapters out. I have one more chapter after this one it should be out today maybe before my school day ends.

I woke up early again, packing everything I'd need for the trip. Among the items were two prototype swords, one for me and one for Sylphie. I'd already warned her not to put too much mana into the blade an overload could cause an explosion strong enough to kill her.

Still, the idea of improving the prototypes excited me. My mind buzzed with possibilities. Maybe I could create a wristband with a magic circle that would allow the sword to teleport into my hand when I applied mana. That would be so cool. There were so many ideas I wanted to try, but for now, this would have to do.

By the time I was done thinking and made it to the carriage, everyone else was already awake and gathering their belongings. I waited near the front, fiddling with my sword. Eris was the first to arrive.

"Eris! I haven't seen you in a while. I'm sorry we couldn't have lessons for the past three days. Also…" I hesitated, choosing my words carefully, "…I haven't seen you since that day, you know?"

She glanced at me before shifting her gaze to the two bags she carried probably clothes. Sometimes, I forget Eris is a noble girl.

"Why does it matter to you? Hmph." She huffed, turning her head sharply as she climbed into the carriage. She plopped down next to me with an attitude sharp enough to cut steel.

Okay, that was cold and awkward.

"Well, are you at least excited?" I asked, nudging her with my finger. "You know it's going to take a week to get there. We could spar every now and then."

Her head snapped toward me so quickly I thought she might pull a muscle. "Really?! Oh, I mean… okay. Well, I'll be looking forward to it." She quickly turned her head again, trying to mask her excitement with a huff.

What's with her? I haven't even done anything.

A few minutes passed, and Sylphie emerged from the house with a small bag slung over her shoulder. I waved her over.

"Sylphie, what took you so long?" I asked, eyeing her bag suspiciously.

"I was looking for that book you gave me on barriers. I want to study it more." She adjusted her glasses, her expression serious. "Barriers seem useful, and I think I could go far with them. I also hope Ars has books on healing magic those are my two weakest subjects."

It was good to see her actively trying to improve herself. Meanwhile, I felt like I was stagnating. Everyone around me was pushing themselves, but I'd been too focused on my experiments. It was something I'd have to fix soon.

Eventually, Ghislaine appeared, signaling it was time to leave. The carriage started rolling, and we made our way through the town before entering the dense forest that stretched ahead.

Six hours into the journey, we stopped for a break.

"Finally! I'm tired of this cramped cart!" Eris shouted as she bolted from the carriage like a coiled spring.

I watched her go and shook my head. Where was she even running off to? Oh well, I had better things to do. I turned to Sylphie.

"Hey, Sylph—"

"Not now, Rudeus," she interrupted, not even glancing up from her book. "I'm studying. Actually, I'll be going over there to practice." She walked off, her nose still buried in the book.

Another one gone. Great. Who am I supposed to talk to now?

I glanced over to Ghislaine. She was lounging against the carriage, arms crossed behind her head as if it were a pillow. Her eyes were closed, but she seemed too alert to be sleeping.

"Don't you think you should go do something as well?" she asked without looking at me. "This is a dangerous mission, and you're the one who chose to come along."

She had a point. "You're right. I should work on my prototype. I need Sylphie—"

"No, Rudeus," she cut me off, opening one eye to glance at me. "I mean actual training. You should practice your swordplay. I see potential, but you haven't polished it."

Swordplay… I hadn't focused on it much lately. She was right, though it was something I couldn't afford to neglect.

"I'll teach you. That's part of my job anyway. Let's spar," she said, pushing off the carriage with an easy grace.

"On one condition: I get to try out my mana blade."

She raised an eyebrow, considering. "Eh, sure. Let's see what your fancy weapon can do."

We walked a fair distance from the carriage, clearing enough space to spar without endangering anyone else. Ghislaine brought a wooden sword, probably to avoid damaging my prototype. Honestly, who carries wooden swords around?

We squared off. Ghislaine stood relaxed but poised, exuding the confidence of a veteran warrior.

"I'll take it easy at first to gauge where you are," she said.

I nodded, gripping my sword tightly. "Alright."

I lunged, aiming for her torso. She blocked with ease, barely shifting her stance. I followed up with another slash, this time aiming for her shoulder, but she deflected it and hit me making me fly back.

I gritted my teeth and used a burst of speed to get behind her, but she twisted effortlessly, intercepting my strike mid-swing.

Her counterattack was immediate a strike aimed at my torso. I reacted instinctively, using a Water God technique to redirect her blade and create an opening. I infused my next strike with Touki, hoping the added speed and power would catch her off guard.

But Ghislaine wasn't fazed. She parried each of my attacks her every move was almost faster than I could perceive.

Frustrated, I decided to switch tactics. Jumping back, I channeled mana into my sword, releasing an arc of fire. The fiery slash roared toward her, forcing her to retreat slightly before cutting through it with a single swing.

I grinned. A Touki-infused magic attack. I might be onto something.

I poured more mana into the blade, unleashing a barrage of fiery slashes. Ghislaine dodged and weaved through the onslaught, her movements almost too fast to track. In an instant, she closed the gap between us.

Her wooden sword slammed into my sword with enough force to send me flying back into a tree. Pain shot through my back as I hit the rough bark, but I didn't have time to recover. Ghislaine was already on me, her sword descending in a blur.

Panicking, I used wind magic to push her blade upward, narrowly avoiding a blow to the head. I rolled to the side, but she was relentless, her strikes coming faster and harder.

I couldn't keep up. My movements felt sluggish compared to hers.

Desperate, I infused my sword with ice magic. Frost spread along her blade, creeping toward her hands.

"What the hell?" Ghislaine growled, breaking away to shake off the ice.

I pressed the advantage, slashing at her with renewed strength . At point-blank range, I unleashed another fire slash, forcing her to dodge.

Seizing the moment, I threw my sword at her.

"Long Sword of Silence!"

The blade was flipping above us, glowing. But before it could activate, Ghislaine's wooden sword was at my neck.

"Good spar, Rudeus," she said, lowering her weapon. "Even though you cheated, you did better than I expected."

I exhaled, my chest heaving. "Thanks, Ghislaine."

"You're at the Saint Rank in the North God Style," she continued. "Your Sword God and Water God techniques are advanced, but you've still got a lot to learn. Work on your fundamentals. Your strikes lack precision."

Her praise made my cheeks flush. "Okay. I'll practice," I promised, heading deeper into the forest to train.