Capítulo 1: Chapter 1: Reincarnation is a Corporate Affair
(A/N: It has been a while since I last read Mushoku Tensei. I'm doing this to not burn out of writing. So if there are any errors in the story, kindly just leave a message and I'll try my best to fix it)
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"Ugh, just one last batch of errors to fix before I clock off for the night…"
Typing away in a cold and dark room, Paul Smith, a man with a very generic name, worked with tired eyes and even more tired hands in front of a computer screen on the current software development project he was assigned to.
(E/D: Rather than typing it is usually scrolling and using the mouse. Trying to find the bugs is harder than fixing them.)
The assistance software for a deep-learning diagnosis algorithm would help hospitals identify viruses and diseases in the respiratory system through image scans. A very well-invested project due to the current pandemic that afflicted the world.
Allured by the salary it could provide him as a freelance software engineer, and wishing to not be locked in his house for fear of any coughing man or delusional conspiracy theorist, Paul was more than willing to apply and was promptly accepted.
Little did he know that as a freelance software engineer, he would be relegated to the sweatshop-like position of the project while other more industry-affiliated folks take all the credit for the fruits of his many sleepless nights.
"Just hang on a bit more, Paul. At least when this is all over, you can slack off to your heart's content!"
Fueled by the promise of a good bed and a whole stack of novels he had been stockpiling, Paul pushed his human body to the limits as he began to make the finishing touches on his work.
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"HHhhhaaa~ Blessed water, I can never understand why people would replace you with soda"
Slumping against a bench inside the hospital where he worked on the software, Paul felt all the stress leave his body as he began to look back on the series of misfortune events that befell him so late in the project's time cycle.
"Asking me to fix a bug in the algorithm the day before it would be tested in the hospital? It's like those corpo big-wigs think we just make things work by typing down code like we're writing an essay… 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝"
Accepting his lot in life, Paul couldn't find the urge to resist the establishment of his work life. Only a main character of a novel would be capable of something like that, someone he was clearly not.
He graduated by the edge of his seat with a bachelor's in computer science, with a specialization in software engineering.
His family was as generic as can be, just like his name. Middle of the middle class, afforded some but not all luxuries of life.
His parents got divorced as a teen and has a tolerable relationship with his sibling. It was as normal as one person can be in a relatively developed country.
'Minus the fact that I haven't gotten a single girlfriend yet. Supporting a partner on top of yourself? In this economy? Impossible'
It was a life with nothing worthy of note, but it wasn't to the point that he detested it, after all, he could simply immerse himself in a world devoid of mundanity.
'Hm? Released illustrations? For the final volume of Mushoku Tensei?'
Scrolling through his timeline on a certain bird-inspired app, Paul's interest was piqued as he read a certain thread about one of his favorite stories coming to a close in its light novel run.
'So Rudy finally passes away… a satisfying end in all honesty, though I'll have to wait for the sequel to answer the unresolved questions. It's also a bit sad that his children weren't there by his side when he died though…'
Reading the translation for the epilogue and seeing the illustration of the main character passing away content with his life, Paul let out another sigh as he wondered if he too would end up like that one day.
'I'll think about it when I have my mid-life crisis. For now, I have a date with my bed and blanket. Maybe I'll read some novels before I sleep.
'Hopefully, the Mushoku Tensei sequel is released soon. That epilogue just left me wanting more in all honestly'
But just as Paul was about to head to the exit of the hospital, he felt a sudden shift in the world around him, as if a disturbance was soon to take place… and it did.
"CAPTURE THAT PATIENT! EVACUATE ALL NON-PROTECTED PERSONNEL! WE MUST NOT LET ANOTHER VIRAL STRAIN BE RELEASED!"
Remember how Paul felt motivated to join the project he worked on partly because of his desire not to fear a coughing man or a conspiracy theorist? Well, it would seem both of those fears have come true.
"The vaccine is a lie! It turns the frogs gay! You dogs of the big brother will not capture me alive! Long live the revolution!"
Paul would learn this later afterward, but the man who was quickly approaching him, with a team of hazmat-suit-wearing personnel chasing quickly behind, was a conspiracy theorist who had contracted a rather dangerous strain of the virus he was tasked to help fight against.
Now, that man was going buck wild, fueled by his delusions of some secret society wanting to silence his homeless ass.
Most people describe their last moments in novels as a flash of light as a truck runs over them, maybe a train in rarer instances, or a nuclear explosion in one particularly wild story.
But never did Paul expect that his final momenta would be so original… and yet so lame in comparison to being run over by a mystical heavyweight vehicle.
𝘾 𝙊 𝙐 𝙂 𝙃
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『One of our employees had committed a grievous error when managing the worlds assigned to his jurisdiction, causing your untimely demise. Please allow us to apologize for this unfortunate incident』
"My last moments on earth were dealing with corporate bullshit, and even after dying a slow painful death from pneumonia… I STILL HAVE CORPORATE BULLSHIT?!"
Finding himself in a dark void after dying in a quarantined room from contracting an extremely fatal strain of a certain pandemic-causing virus, Paul shouted in annoyance at just how terrible his luck was.
"Is this what I get for being such a background character?! I'm sorry I wasn't born with hair color found in a rainbow or the abandoned son of some bigshot badass!"
Even though by all means and measures, he should be grateful to be living out the plot of so many fanfictions and novels, he couldn't help but be angry at the fact that none of it was going how it was supposed to.
"Aren't I supposed to meet some old dude or a hot goddess?! Why the hell am I stuck with an automatic customer support bot?!"
There was no grandiose ceremony for seemingly living on beyond his death, just darkness and a small dingy screen that gave out automated responses.
『In light of this, allow us to compensate you for this error on our part. Our 'no-longer-related' employee had ended two lives prematurely in his mistake, yours and one other in a different world』
『Due to fortunate circumstances, we are capable of merging your soul with this fellow victim. We believe this is a commensurate method through which your inconvenience might be resolved』
Reading this, Paul wasn't amused. Fluent in corporate speak, he knew full well that this wasn't done out of the goodwill of whatever entity was managing this stuff, it was by pure luck that there was a method available that resembled recompensation.
"... 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝… Well, this is better than nothing. So I'm gonna be merged with some poor schmuck who died like me. It would certainly put my mind at ease to know I won't be killing or replacing some other soul in my reincarnation… can I at least know who and where I am going to reincarnate?"
Processing his voice as a request, the small screen began to search for the answer to his question. Eventually displaying text that made the dead man's eyes widen with disbelief.
『WORLD: MUSHOKU TENSEI』
『TARGET: PAUL NOTOS GREYRAT』
『REASON OF ERROR: 'no-longer-related' employee slipped on a donut and caused the unborn Paul to die inside the womb of his mother. If left unresolved, the world timeline will be relegated to[Bad Ending]』
"..."
The world of Mushoku Tensei is a vast and brilliantly vivid fantasy world, home to many iconic characters and scenery. A world of swords, magic, mystical beasts, and places of unfathomable proportions.
Praised the world over for the starting of the isekai trend, and its non-compliance with most overdone tropes currently used in the genre… and a world that Paul didn't wish to reincarnate into.
"No! Hell no! You're not sending me into that hellscape!"
There were a variety of reasons why Paul didn't want to reincarnate in the world of Mushoku Tensei.
For one, it took its setting seriously and made the world the equivalent of medieval-era Europe.
"Their toilets are the equivalent of porta potties! They bathe with a basin of wood! They use candles instead of lightbulbs! They have no air conditioning!"
As a man who worked in the world of modern technology, there was no way that Paul would be able to live without the comforts of human progress, but there were even more pressing issues than just comfort.
"I can talk about the messed-up culture of the Asura Kingdom or the fact I will be born into a class of perverts… but I'm more concerned with the fact, THAT THERE'S AN NEAR-OMNISCIENT FAKER GOD WHO CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE AND COMMANDS SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE VERSE!"
Paul would naturally have to set the killing of the fake human god as his goal if he wanted his next life to be anywhere near peaceful.
Not only would allowing the human god to do what he wants, cause the world to fall into chaos with his apostles manipulating it to his will, there was another problem.
"The human god's enemy is Orsted, and when he dies he goes back in time and restarts his quest to kill the human god all over again"
"Now, the question is, if Orsted travels back in time, what the hell happens to me?"
Does Paul's reincarnation occur all over again? Does his world disappear the moment Orsted dies? Does his world continue living on without the destined killer of the fake human god? He didn't know. Which was why it was so bad of a place to reincarnate into.
"Even if I decide to spend my life helping Orsted like Rudeus, the human god will notice my intentions to kill him… I'm sure I can figure out a way to kill that bastard, which would mean the creepy guy can notice my existence much quicker than Rudeus"
Rudeus spent most of his infancy and child periods unaware that there was a malevolent god who wished to establish his hegemony over all creation, meaning he was able to live and grow strong until the human god decided to try and get rid of him for good.
"If someone like me, who knows the story, reincarnates into the world… the human god would surely detect my desire to kill him, and spawn kill me the moment I am birthed into existence"
Paul began to wrack his head as to how he might be able to survive. He would face a slow death if he didn't choose to kill the human god, and he would face a near-instantaneous death if he did.
"BOTH PATHS END UP KILLING ME! IF YOU'RE GOING TO COMPENSATE ME, AT LEAST GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WORK WITH!"
𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙋
In response to his outcry, the small screen ejected a small paper slip that slapped Paul across his face.
『[CHARACTER ABILITY COPY VOUCHER]USABLE ONLY WITH 'MUSHOKU TENSEI' CHARACTERS』
"Cheap bastard…"
Finally, the cheat all reincarnators are expected to have, given out to him like an apology cash voucher only capable of being used in certain branch locations.
"At least it's better than nothing… and I'm angry that I'm being satisfied with being treated with the bare minimum…"
Holding the voucher in his hands, the information on how to avail its effect naturally flowed into Paul's mind,
Thinking deeply about it, the dead man let out a stern expression as he shouted out what he believed to be the correct answer to all his worries.
"Give me the powers of the original creator god!"
『[CHARACTER ABILITY COPY VOUCHER]CAN ONLY BE USED FOR A SPECIFIC SINGLE ABILITY… mass-requesting of copyable abilities is reserved for the premium ticket』
"CHEAP BASTARD!"
"FINE! Then the original creator god's ability of creation!"
『[CHARACTER ABILITY COPY VOUCHER]CAN ONLY BE USED TO COPY THE ABILITIES OF A CHARACTER ALIVE WITHIN THE TIME PERIOD OF PAUL GREYRAT'S BIRTH… past scanning of dead characters is reserved for the premium+ ticket』
"FUCKING CHEAP BASTARD!"
"GIVE ME THE FALSE HUMAN GOD'S DIVINITY THEN"
『[CHARACTER ABILITY COPY VOUCHER]CAN ONLY BE USED ON DEFINITE AND KNOWN ABILITIES OF A CERTAIN CHARACTER… interpretation of unknown variables is reserved for the premium++ ticket』
"YOU CAPITALIST MOTHER-"
Growing out of patience with the corporate afterlife he was given as a reincarnator, Paul began to think deeply and shout various answers for powers that might allow him to kill the human god with ease.
But alas, he was not fated with a golden enough spoon to kill the endgame boss with little difficulty. He would have to do it the hard way.
"Damn it, then I'll have to use this cheat item to give me an ability that won't make me dead upon arrival"
"How lucky of me that my unknown capitalist afterlife caretakers are so generous~ Now I won't have to worry about dying when I'm born~"
Pondering on what would be a good ability to have, Paul considered a few obvious ones, but most of them would just end up in him being caught in an endless cycle of being killed.
"I can't go with Badigadi, I'll just end up trapped in some mountain for all eternity like him. I don't want to spend my second life like Sun Wukong before he met that bald Buddhist monk dude"
"Orsted's time reversal? No, I'll just end up like Subaru from Re: Zero. I'm well aware that no one wants to end up like him. I don't want to lose my mind"
"The false human god's all-seeing eyes or future sight? Useless. If I don't have the resources to capitalize on the knowledge I gain like him, I can't do anything. Something I'm sure that prideful god wouldn't be dumb enough to allow me to do"
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After a few more minutes of thinking, Paul sighed as he finally reached the answer he was looking for, but he wasn't happy having to spend his cheat on such a niche ability like the one he decided upon.
"It has to be this one then. Orsted's immunity from the human god's eyes and future prediction!"
『[CHARACTER ABILITY COPY VOUCHER]COPYING REQUESTED ABILITY… SUCCESFUL… FULL INTEGRATION COMPLETE』
"At least they're competent enough to have their cheap hand-outs not fail on me…"
The voucher ticket began to dissipate into a mist of white mystical energy before the surrounding void began to change violently, indicating that Paul would soon be reborn as Paul. Paul Notos Greyrat.
"I'll have to build up strength on my own. At least I won't start off with an absolutely shit start, Paul was a character with immense potential. Mastering the advanced levels of all three sword styles, becoming an S-rank adventurer, and even being scouted by the Water god as a youth-"
"-All to just throw out his fortune and natural talent in order to satisfy his lower half. Constantly being an idiotic brat that did nothing with his talents in the end… at least he turned out to be a respectable person before he died"
Having a general gist of how he should go about his journey to becoming a god killer, Paul smiled as his usually mundane life was about to turn into a chaotic mess that he cannot predict how it will end.
"I don't even know how the human god loses in the end. I died before the sequel got released"
"In addition to that, the story I do know of barely helps me as Paul Greyrat, and his own personal backstory 'Paul Gaiden' died alongside the Mushoku Tensei mobile game… I guess I have to wing it for a bit"
"They always say that comfort and excitement never go well together, after living in comfort for so long, let's see how it is on the other side"
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?̵̧̖̪̓̇͜͝ ̴̝̥́̀͗̕͝ ̵̬͓̎͌́́͒ ̸̛̳̀̓̅͌ ̶̯̿̈͗̃͜ ̵̫̼͙͎͆̔̈́͝ ̷͇͍̾?̴̛̯̈́͛ͅͅ ? ? ? ̸̼͉͙̾̈́̿ ̷̫͂͋̌̅ ̵̡̪̥͗͆ ̶̙̔̽̅̉ ̷̤̯̈́́͌͛?̶̙̬̹͉̬̆̂ ̶̮̚ ̷͚͈̜̆̃́ ̷͍̈́ ̷̫͆?̵̼̤̈́͌̚͠͝
-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒
『REINCARNATION COMPLETE… WARNING… ERROR… THE WORLD TIMELINE HAS MASSIVELY SHIFTED FROM THE ORIGINAL PATH』
-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒
『CALCULATING ERROR DEVIATION… ERROR… ERROR… ERROR… DISPLAYING POINT OF DEVIATION』
-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒
In an unknown time and unknown place, a swordsman brings a god to heel with the edge of his blade. Smiling helplessly as he faces his inevitable end.
-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒
"What misfortune did I accrue to have an anomaly as threatening as you to appear in this timeline? Paul Greyrat"
-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒
"A capitalistic afterlife and I'm coming for them next after I'm done with you"
-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒-̵̧̨̯̏̑̓-̶̨̱̰͕͛̀͛͊-̵̟̦̦̄̽̉̂̇-̷̯͓̊̔-̷͇̈́̈́-̶̨̜̗̹̿͝-̶͍̂̔̓͂-̵͙̰͙̼͓̂͗-̶͎̱̞̦̫̾̓͝͠-̵͚̍̅̿̚͘-̶̠̅̌̀̄͊-̸̮̞̖̙̭̃̈-̶̪͂͗̀̚-̷̢̩̱͔̏͊̇̓́͜-̴̺̠̲̬̈́͝-̴̠̳͓͆͜-̶̲̪͖̖̍̍͛͂-̸͓̰̺͙̄͑͠-̴̜̿͗-̷͚̙͛̓-̴̢̬̿̒̈́͝-̴͓͋́͑̐-̶̢͎͍̭͝-̴̗̩̒̎̉̇-̵͚͖̙̯͋-̷̡͕̆͛͝-̶̣͈̖̗̓̌̑̉̃-̶̡̉́̒͝-̶̭̯̣̇̏͗̃̚-̴̖̝̼̗͐͐̇̍-̸̢̻̜̪̯̚-̸̰̲̕͘-̵̡̘̮̂͠-̵̭̂͝-̵̡̮͎̔-̵͙̬̱͓̖͑-̸͖͈̏̃̄͝-̸̱͉͖͔̋̎̓̄-̶͙̜͚̥͂̀̆͝-̶͓͔̑̄̄͋̉-̸͙̚͝-̸̦̱͖͎͙̑́̓̉̄-̷̠̫͓̥̇-̴̧͉̂͠-̸̛̻̬͖̼̅-̴̢̪̟̈́̊-̸̤͓͍͎̯̍̒
…
..
.
Bright. Everything was blindingly bright in Paul's eyes after a veil of darkness overtook his mind and memories.
Loud. An indistinguishable sea of noises drowned out his ears whilst he was already struggling to try to adjust his eyesight.
Wet. His already overloaded senses began to convey a sense of sticky creamy wetness surrounding his entire body.
It was bright, loud, and messy. His mind was already in a mess, not knowing what had just happened to him, but the environmental factors around him just made it worse.
Unable to take it anymore, with a lack of control that had seemingly disappeared from his adult mind, Paul cried out with all he had as a warm sensation began to wrap all over him.
"Here you go, Madame. It's a healthy baby boy"
Unknown to him at the time, a midwife, renowned for her ability to deliver noble children with great success, began to speak to the pale mother who had undergone hours of torment in labor.
Gently passing the newborn into his mother's embrace, the beautiful woman couldn't help but be filled with immense emotions as she saw the life she had just given birth to.
Enduring all the questions of her ability to bear children with her weakened body by other nobles and even her own family, Valentina Notos Greyrat greeted her child with a dazzling smile that broke through her weakness and fatigue.
Wishing to sear this moment as a happy day for the child for all his life, the noblewoman with dazzling blonde hair and evergreen eyes whispered to the young life as she guided him to suckle on her abundant breasts.
"Welcome to this world, little one. Take your time to adjust, no matter what anyone says, take your new life at a steady pace…"
With her gentle touches against the newborn's skin, and her sweet caressing voice easing the strain on his ears, Valentina's child began to settle down from his earlier panic on instinct. As if recognizing that in the arms of this woman, he was safe from harm.
"I will not say that this life of yours will be without hardship. Even as a noble myself, I was faced with quite a lot of hurdles. But regardless of what you will face, I will always be there to support you"
"Because I know just how much it means to simply have someone remind you where you are in this world. I will never let you experience the suffering of roaming this wide and scary world alone"
"Your mother will always love. Even though the constraints of this world, I will always continue loving you, my precious child"
Smiling at the bonding moment between Valentina and her child, the midwife noticed the father of the child begin to enter the birthing chamber.
His face was relieved of worry as he saw the healthy baby boy in his wife's embrace but was promptly ushered back into the hallway by the assisting midwives. Claiming it was not yet time for the father to make his appearance.
"Forgive my husband. He is quite the sporadic man with his emotions"
"I dare not think such a thing of Lord Amarant Notos Greyrat, Madame, but do you have a name for this young one? It is best that we list him in the family's registry as soon as possible"
"Yes. Amarant and I had already long decided on a name for this precious child. The night he was conceived actually, hehe… In the wish that he will become a humble heir to the Nostos name, he will be Paul… Paul Notos Greyrat… my beloved son"
…
..
.
'Urgh… being born is rough…'
Recovering from the storm of emotions from his birth in his second life, Paul Smith, now Paul Notos Greyrat, began to put his mind into order as he rested with his mother on a luxurious bed.
Raising his eyes to the beautiful woman who rested alongside him, Paul stood in amazement at just how gorgeous a person could be.
Especially in a world where beauty products weren't as advanced as in his old world, it was a mystery how her skin was so clear
'Magic? Or maybe her genetics must be freakishly good if she can be attractive in a medieval world. Really makes me wonder how Amarant-… m-my father, is able to cheat on her so often…'
Realizing once more that he was in the world of Mushoku Tensei, Paul prepared himself to adapt as soon as possible to the customs of his new world.
Especially given that he was born as an Asura Kingdom noble. The well-known societal caste of perverts in the Mushoku Tensei world.
Noticing that her child's face turned into a grimace at the thought of what the people around him were doing, Valentina grew concerned as she began speaking to her child.
" ̸̙̃â̸̲j̴͓͊b̷̼̉n̴͍̅f̵̳͋ȉ̴̥b̸͓̋s̴͔̊ ̶̊͜i̶̤̋k̶͙̀a̷͙͑s̷̲͝j̶̩̈́f̸͓́b̴̘̉a̶͖͆ ̵̡̆ ̸̩̏ạ̷͆j̶̠̈́k̶͚͂s̴̡͂f̶͚̓b̶͈̏"
But though she spoke clearly to him, Paul was unable to understand a single word of what she said to him, much to his displeasure.
'I'll also have to learn a new language… hopefully my baby powers will kick in and I'll learn it naturally over time…'
However, though language set them apart, the intentions of Valentina were clear for him to see. The mother was clearly concerned for her newborn child.
Not wanting to add further stress to the slowly recovering woman, Paul reverted his expression back to one of serene calm… alas, Valentina had decided to take what she perceived as a problem, into her own hands.
"UMPH-"
A large breast smothered Paul's face as Valentina urged him to suckle off her nipple once more.
It was quite a bizarre life for him after just being born. Not only was he unable to control when or where he pissed or defecated, but he even sucked on a beautiful woman's nipples on a daily basis.
Not wanting to use Valentina's kindness for his sick desires, Paul cleared his mind as best as he could of worldly desires as he complied with his mother's urging.
'Hear no evil… See no evil… Think no evil… Do no evil…'
Beginning to suck on his mother's breast, Valentina smiled gently as she watched her young son continue to be nurtured. Not knowing he was fighting for his life to not fetishize the wonders of motherhood.
'I'm so relieved that me and Valentina- I mean, mother, are all alone… I think I remember reading about medieval mothers and newborns being isolated for a few weeks after labor… must've been fears about infection'
Paul was thankful that it was only him and his mother around currently, as it allowed him to focus on his first step to becoming a god killer and ensuring his peaceful second life. Increasing the amount of magic he had whilst he was still young.
'Magic capacity can only be trained and increased most dramatically during childhood, so I mustn't waste time and begin increasing it! So let's see… just feel it out… search for something weird inside my body…'
As his mouth continued to suck on Valentina's bosom, Paul began to feel out his small toddler body for the presence of any mystical energy.
But after a few minutes of searching, he stopped for a bit as his efforts were unfruitful. Realizing this, he began to ponder on how to better find his mana.
'Paul had a natural affinity for Battle Aura, and Battle Aura was a different form of mana manipulation focusing on internal enhancements of one's body… so maybe I should feel it out in the intricate parts of my anatomy?'
Considering this line of thought, Paul became somewhat grateful for his hellish experience with the last software development project he undertook in his last life.
'I had to learn a bunch of medical know-how from the doctors who reviewed the project, in order to better understand what they wanted in the end product. Who would've thought it would've paid off in this way?'
Locking in this method to find and feel his mana, Paul began to focus deeply on his internal senses. Descending his mind from his physical stimulus to awaken his senses for the mystical.
Imagining in detail the muscle structure of his hand, he focused greatly to find any source of magic flowing in his body.
But just as he was about to give up, a flood of images began to enter his mind. A large collection of muscle fibers sprawled out in front of his consciousness.
It was as if he somehow became adept at understanding their capabilities and purpose. Though it was just the underdeveloped muscles of a toddler, it was still a great amount of information for him to process.
"Bwuh…"
Though, just as quickly as he found the image of his muscle fibers, Paul began to see the image beginning to fade as his mind began to yearn for rest.
'Damn, I already ran out of mana?'
Surprised at his discovery before falling into a deep sleep, the young boy felt a surge of excitement as he made the first step on his long journey to becoming a god killer.
But said future god killer became a sight of amusement for his mother as he fell asleep with a face full of breast milk splattered all over. Having fallen asleep to mana exhaustion mid-suckle.
(E/D: Then the next morning he demanded milk and he sucked so much that his mother became so traumatized then went bald and became a monk. Typical Baki mothers.)
…
..
.
"Good morning, Young Master Paul, it is time for your meal"
"Bwaa?"
"Mmmm! How adorable must our Young Master Paul be?!"
A few months after Paul had first discovered his source of mana, he was promptly separated from his mother once their period of isolation and recovery had ended,
The young boy was quickly taken care of daily by the maids of the Notos estate, who quickly took a liking to the adorable young master of the prominent noble household.
'I must say, it's quite the sight to see so many beautiful women greet you when you wake up. Never experience this with my old life's work schedule. Being born a noble does have some benefits…'
'It's also a lot less boring now that I understand what people are saying around me. I don't know how long I would've taken listening to garble all day…'
In his months of training, Paul had gotten into a rhythm of using his mana to scan the structure of his body with great detail.
With the activity resonating well with the predisposed expression of his mana, the young boy was able to turn a few seconds of deep scanning into half an hour of scanning.
'I seem to be able to stimulate the enhancement of my senses, but until I complete my full understanding of my entire body, I will refrain from doing anything drastic as a baby… I don't know if enhancing my body as a baby will make me explode…'
Shaking away all the sleepiness, induced by having drained all his mana the previous day, with the image of an exploding baby, Paul readied what little senses he could control as his maids prepared to feed him his breakfast.
"Here you go, Young Master Paul. Open wide for this spoon of porridge. Aaaaa~"
"Aaaaa~"
"Very good, Young Master Paul! Only a few more bites until you're finished!"
Being handfed a surprisingly delicious bowl of porridge by one of the maids, Paul obediently opened his mouth with the words of the maid, eliciting a menagerie of smiles to be plastered by all his attending servants.
"It is amazing how cordial Young Master Paul is. Most toddlers I met were quite the hassle to deal with. Is this perhaps the gift of his noble blood?"
Commenting on his unusual quietness and obedience as a newborn, one of the attending maids of Paul began to speculate as to what caused such a stark difference between him and other newborns.
"It would be rude to simply attribute it to Young Master Paul's blood alone. We must also consider that these are the signs of a future noble genius! He will surely make great strides when he grows up!"
Adding onto the first maid's words, another maid provided her own insight into the matter. Believing Paul to be a once-in-a-century genius, guaranteed to bring success wherever he goes.
"That is why we must do our best to serve him! So that we can all get into the list for exclusive-maid consideration!"
'Why must they make a fuss to be my exclusive maid? Don't they get paid enough for working for a noble house like ours?'
Wondering about his attending maids' aspirations, Paul wondered why exactly the group of women wanted to desperately become his exclusive maid… that was until he remembered a certain culture among Asuran nobles.
'Oh yeah, nobles bed their maids regularly… are they aiming to become a concubine then?'
Thinking that these women might be planning to perform the midnight tango with him when he's not even a year old, Paul reinforced his belief that Asuran culture was simply too much for him to handle.
'I thought Rudeus was bad, but this entire world is way more messed up than him… then again, I suppose it's only natural since it's a medieval-like world…'
As Paul's eyes began to take note of who to absolutely avoid choosing as his exclusive maid in the future, the young boy's eyes landed on a particularly young and quiet maid who hung in the background.
'That girl… she seems familiar…'
Scrutinizing his little eyes further, Paul began to distinguish the features of the wall-flower-like maid who seemed excluded from everyone else.
Her head hung low as if to lower her presence in the room. Her ash-blonde hair was slightly disheveled and her deep blue eyes stared directly onto the floor with a sunken sadness in their tint.
With her general-gloomy atmosphere and aversion to attracting any attention to herself, Paul deduced that the young girl could be undergoing one of two things.
One, she is an introvert who struggled to fit in. Unlikely, Paul failed to imagine that any such person would be hired to serve such a prominent noble house like Notos Greyrat without the ability to socialize.
'Unless my father thought with his dick and hired her for her looks… but it's unlikely given her lack of grooming compared to the other maids. So I can only assume it's the second option'
She was being bullied by her fellow co-workers out of a potential promotion from a regular maid to the exclusive maid to the noble household's heir. Seeing this, Paul's mind could only be saddened in sympathy for the poor young girl.
'It's rough being bullied in the workplace. Trust me, I know. Office politics are such a hassle to deal with… for that reason, you have bumped up way higher in my listings for who to consider as my exclusive maid'
Having a distaste for office politics in his previous life, Paul immediately began to relate to the young maid's determination to simply endure it for the sake of having a livelihood.
'This is to do what no other person was able to do for me in my past life, also for the fact that this is an investment. I can't do all the things I need to do for training if I'm hounded by a group of attending servants. It's best that I attain my own exclusive maid so as to reduce the number of hurdles I need to go through!'
Wishing to gain some freedom from the countless eyes that stalked him, and unable to watch the poor girl suffer in silence any longer, he decided to throw her a bone and give her preferential treatment.
"Baaboo!"
Stretching out his hands towards the young girl in a burst of energy, the attending maids began to be surprised at Paul who generally didn't act so energetic around them.
"Young Master Paul? What is it? What do you need?"
"Baaboo! Baaboo!"
Handing out a variety of items in the direction his finger pointed at, from toys to general pieces of decoration, the maids began to panic as they failed, again and again, to find out what their young master desired.
But before long, after going through most of the choices, the attending maids began to hesitate as they wondered if what their young master desired was the quiet maid by the corner of the room.
"Young Master Paul… do you desire to see that maid over there?"
Pointing her finger at the young girl, the attending maid grew anxious as the young master didn't give out any preference for any of his servants.
So for him to pick the outcast of the maids was something they didn't wish to come true, but alas, Paul didn't desire opportunistic people to become his exclusive servant.
"Baaboo!"
Shouting out with happiness as the attending maid pointed at the young girl, the servants around him began to wear sour expressions at the realization that the girl they had bullied was now getting ahead of them
But unable to go against the wishes of the high-noble heir, the attending maid urged the quiet young girl to Paul's side with a hint of venom in her words.
"Corrinthia, come over here and attend to Young Master Paul. He is beckoning for you to be by his side"
"H-Huh?"
Surprised by the sudden message that the young heir to the Notos household wished for her, Corrinthia began to nervously make her way to Paul's side.
Just as the attending maid was about to hand him over to her, she drew close to the young girl's ear before letting out a threat of warning.
"Should you commit even the tiniest mistake, I and all the other maids here will vouch for your expulsion. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes, I understand…"
Passed onto the arms of the young girl, Paul expressed a gentle gaze to Corrinthia as his sympathy for her grew more and more with everything that transpired.
'I may not be a hero of justice, but I sure as hell want to dish out some payback! Alright! Let's make these other maids despair, Corrinthia!'
Flashing a beaming smile to the worried young maid, Corrinthia nervously began to play with Paul. Having no experience due to always being left out from practicing her lessons, she was worried the young master wouldn't receive her performance well.
"Pfft- You call that playing?"
The other attending maids began to mock the young girl for her inexperience, but in a shock to everyone, Paul, who had barely responded to the servants' attempts at childish banter, began to laugh and smile vibrantly with Corrinthia.
"Bwaa! Bwaa! Bwaa!"
"...!!!"
The maids stood shocked as Paul and Corrinthia began to play with one another with great exuberance.
The young heir reached out to the young girl, and she would in turn playfully stick her finger out for him to play with his little growing hands.
"Baaboo!"
"Hehe~"
Seeing the dazzling smile of the young boy, Corrinthia began to slowly forget all the torment she had been experiencing prior.
Focusing solely on her duty as a servant to protect the smile of the family she swore fealty to.
'I took up this job because my baron family was struggling to make ends meet. It was a miracle that a low noble's daughter like myself was able to get in… but I was quickly bullied by the daughters of more powerful houses…'
Maids of high nobles were often daughters of nobles themselves. But the opportunity to serve the family of a higher-ranking house was seen as an honorable profession in the Asura Kingdom. Especially for a major household like Notos.
As such, the competition for application was fierce, so when news came out that a lowly baron's daughter had somehow made it in, the other maids took it as an insult to be working alongside such low-class nobility.
But alas, their beliefs did them no favors, as Paul expressed his immense favor for the low-born young girl. Seeing no worth in blood but instead in the character of their hearts.
Soon, the news of Corrinthia's accomplishment spread like wildfire throughout the Notos estate, much to the anger of the attending maids who tried to desperately keep it under wraps.
The young daughter of a baron was soon called into the office of the head maid to inform her of her appointment as the young master's exclusive maid. Bringing tears of joy to the poor girl who simply wished to send money for her family's survival.
…
..
.
"Good morning, Madame Valentina, Young Master Paul"
Entering the quarters of the Valentina, Corrinthia performed a deep bow as she greeted the young master and his esteemed mother, to which the two greeted with great joy.
"Baaboo!"
"Good morning to you too, Corrinthia. It would seem Paul is quite excited to be with you again"
The mother and son pair were engaging in some parental bonding. According to the advice of the midwives hired to handle Paul's birth, the child must be firmly connected to his mother first before connecting with his father for close to a year.
Perhaps it was the fact that noble fathers were to be the bad cop of the family by being strict and disciplined, but Paul didn't care much for it.
He enjoyed being doted on by his kind mother and rather disliked his father for having the gall to so openly chase other women while she remains in bed due to her natural weakness.
But such things weren't known to Corrinthia, as far as she was concerned, seeing the mother and son rest together comfortably in a luxurious bed began to make her smile. Especially the sight of her young master greeting her so splendidly once more on a beautiful day.
"It is my honor that Young Master Paul finds joy in my presence"
"No need to humble yourself, Corrinthia. Outside of myself, you're the only one this boy has opened up to. He doesn't even accept kisses from his father, hehe~"
"I-I apologize if I have insulted Lord Sauros in any way-"
"What? No, it was merely banter. He once joked about it in passing, and Paul threw quite the tantrum for showing hostility against you. Quite rare for him to do. So, if anything, I believe you're the safest employee in our household"
"I-Is that so?"
"Baaboo!"
Paul shouted and exclaimed with immense vigor upon hearing his mother's explanation. In his eyes, he was simply keeping his father in line as best as he could with his limited abilities.
'Amarant is a good guy deep down, but after seeing him flirt with the maids that used to attend me, and even sneaking a few glances at Corrinthia, I have to establish a line he mustn't cross. I don't want my blood-related father eyeing up some girl in her early teens!'
But as Paul struggled to maintain a sense of order in his household, stricken by the culture of a perverted noble class, his actions appeared way different in the eyes of his young exclusive maid.
Seeing that her young master cared so deeply for her, Corrinthia felt her heart and loyalty for Paul begin to deepen even further. But she quickly rid herself of her delusions of believing a barely one-year-old child was capable of such careful planning.
'Stop kidding yourself, Corrinthia. There is no way Young Master Paul is consciously thinking about you. He's not even a year old yet…'
Approaching the bedside, Valentina held out Paul for her to hold, something Corrinthia quickly followed as she took the young boy into her arms.
Seeing how brightly her son smiled in the maid's presence, Valentina spoke out a request to the young girl both as his mother and as the madame of house Notos.
"Corrinthia, please do take care of Paul"
Hearing her words, the young girl was left silent about what to say. What if the young master's fancy for her was simply a child's whim? What should she do if he were to lose interest in her?
Those questions went across her mind countless times during her tenure as his current exclusive maid, but peering down at the young child in her arms.
Looking into his evergreen eyes that he inherited from his beautiful mother, and his light brown hair from his stern yet respected father, Corrinthia couldn't help but believe that there was a hidden intelligence beneath the child's appearance.
'Why should I even question this? Intentionally or not, Young Master Paul helped me escape my bullies… even should he lose interest and forget me, I shall work hard to repay this debt of mine to him…'
Closing her eyes gently before reopening them with a burst of vigor, Corrinthia accepted Valentina's request to care and raise for her beloved young master.
"On my name as Corrinthia of house Emblem, I do solemnly swear to protect and raise Young Master Paul with all my ability!"
…
..
.
'Life is much more tolerable now that I don't have a bunch of pedophilic maids surrounding me…'
The walls around him were decorated with resplendent decorations of gentle colors, illuminated by the soft sunlight peeking through the near-transparent white blinds that bundled themselves together like soft clouds. It was truly a room fit to raise nobility.
Laying down on the crib of his own personal nursery, Paul relished the serene quiet brought about by Corrinthia's appointment as his exclusive maid.
The young girl currently rocked the crib of her young master with gentle nudges with a smile on her youthful face. Carefully watching over him as he appeared to be resting, not knowing the truth of what went on in his mind.
With the young girl being the only servant in the household that elicited some emotional response and attachment from the young master, outside of his mother, and somewhat from his father, it was quite rare for any other servant besides herself to interact with him.
Usually simply passing the required necessities to raise the child to Corrinthia, granting her a position within the Notos estate that few others could match.
'It also took me a while to remember, but I believe Corrinthia is that background maid that helped Paul many times in his childhood… she did so much for him and even provided a path for redemption, but he simply threw her out in favor of being a rebel… goddamnit, Paul'
Remembering Corrinthia's position in the story, and remembering all the other people the original Paul had wronged in the story, the new Paul decided to add a separate goal for himself on top of killing the false human god and surviving the chaos that would soon come to the world.
'I'll treat all the people the original Paul treated badly in the original story, extremely well in this life! Especially Lilia, that poor girl went through so much because of his antics…'
Confirming this goal, Paul began to test once more the progress of the growth of his mana capacity. Clearing his mind and steadying his mana, the young boy began to perform a deep scan of his entire arm.
The bone structure, the muscle groups, the nerve endings, the intricate processes being performed in each area on a cellular level, Paul began to see in-depth how his body worked as if it were natural knowledge to him.
Though he was able to confirm each of their identities, functions, and purposes, they were simply the product of his past life's knowledge. Had he not known these things, he would only be given vague understandings of what he saw through his mana.
'No wonder the original Paul was unable to explain how Battle Aura worked, you just simply activated it and understand how it functioned. It's like trying to guide someone on how to breathe. You just do it out of instinct'
Recounting all the knowledge he had gained over his nearly year-long secret training, Paul was happy at how much he was able to grow. Though he would admit that he could've been more efficient had he been able to access more sources of knowledge about the world.
'As expected, I can't simply become a master of magic with the vague details the story gave the readers as to how the magic system functioned. I need to read and learn from magic tomes as Rudeus did… except, I still can't perfectly read, nor can I go by myself to find the books I need'
It had taken Paul a few months to get a basic grasp on the human tongue used in the Asura Kingdom, but understanding writing proved to be a bigger challenge, in large part due to the limited ways he could learn it.
'I could pick up the spoken language through the conversations of my parents and the servants. As for written language… there is only one way I would be able to learn it…'
"Baaboo!"
"Hm? What seems to be the matter, Young Master Paul?"
"Baaboo…"
"Oh, do you want me to read your book again?"
"Baaboo!"
"Hehe, it's almost as if he can understand what I'm saying"
Doting on her young master's bout of selfishness, Corrinthia picked Paul up from his crib before setting him on her lap as she sat on a luxurious chair beside the windowsill.
Unfolding a children's book that had been placed atop a nearby table, the young maid began to recite the story in a slow and gentle tone, so as to allow her young master to follow along.
But though she did this, she doubted that her young master was capable of understanding what was going on.
'Young Master Paul must just like the pictures. But I'm alright doing this, after all, it's quite rare for him to express a desire for anything besides sticking by my side or playing with his mother…'
Alas, beyond Corrinthia's understanding, Paul was not looking at the pictures, but using references and context clues to gain a grasp on the written language system of the human tongue.
Although he was unsure of making any progress with his studies, he was surprisingly able to get a basic rundown after memorizing a couple of characters with ease.
The key to this? Paul had discovered he had quite the natural ability to memorize things through his sight, something that explained quite a lot of things that the original was able to do.
'The original Paul was able to somehow perform advanced water-god style swordsmanship after just observing Lilia's father'
'Given how he was able to do the same with the north-god style against his friends he met in the allies, and observing his swordsmanship instructors as a child, it's no wonder so many people called him talented'
'But he only did the bare minimum to support himself as an adventurer, and to impress women. It takes years for a normal person to reach mastery of an advanced level in one style, and he did it in all three styles. He wasted his talents for sex… goddamnit Paul'
Though he had grievances with the original Paul, the current Paul was more than happy to figure out just how far he can go with the immense gifts he was blessed with upon his birth.
Fully utilizing the eyes that could easily break down the subtleties of advanced swordsmanship, Paul began to decode the human tongue's written language as best as he could. It was another step in his journey to become a god killer.
…
..
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Editor:
The Darkest Knight#4796
AN:
Thank you for reading this chapter.
A few things to note about this story:
-This will mostly be done just to avoid burnout writing my other fanfiction 'Danmachi: Reborn with Emiya's Powers'
-My DxD fanfic is still on hold as I haven't finished reading the light novels. Sorry for those who were looking forward to its next chapter.
-As I said in the beginning, my Mushoku Tensei knowledge might not be the freshest, so comment if there are any details I got wrong
-This will mostly be written for fun and relaxation, as such, I cannot give a definite upload schedule. I'll only upload when I feel inspired.
If you can accept those facts, then I welcome you to enjoy wherever this ride takes you and me. If not, I appreciate you taking the time viewing this, I hope you can find a story you can enjoy.
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