Mushoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation Vol. 10

hand. In the next second, his headband fell away, exposing the red jewel
lying beneath.

“Ruijerd. Ruijerd Superdia.”

And he called himself Superdia. For some reason he didn’t have any
hair, but there was no doubt in her mind that he was a Superd—the Dead
End. And he was moments away from sinking his teeth into Norn.

“Ah…uh…”

Fear gripped Roxy, starting at the base of her feet and rising upward.
Shivers raced through her body, and she felt like she might release her grip
on consciousness right then and there. However, she had been entrusted with
the task of protecting Norn. Lilia was sprinting up behind her. There was also
Aisha back at the inn as well. No…it wasn’t just them. Everyone in this plaza
was in danger. Roxy’s heart screamed at her, forcing her to steel herself and
hold her staff at the ready.

“L-Let that girl go! If you refuse, I shall be your opponent!”

Silence fell. Ruijerd grew stiff, and Lilia froze. Norn actually clung to
Ruijerd, glaring with hostility in Roxy’s direction. Roxy realized something
was off, but her extreme anxiety stopped her from figuring out what it was.
Still, she got a distinct sense that she was making a mistake right now. She’d
made many up until this point, so she knew the feeling well.

“Lord Ruijerd, it has been a while,” said Lilia, bowing as she strode up
from behind Roxy.

Shaken by how casually Lilia had greeted him, Roxy asked her, “Uh?
Um, you know him?”

“Haven’t you heard? Lord Ruijerd is the one who escorted Lord
Rudeus back to the Asura Kingdom…”

“Oh.” She had heard. In fact, she’d even heard that the Dead End she
saw in Wind Port was the very same one who’d escorted Rudeus. But she’d
never honestly believed that he was an actual Superd.

“I have no intention of hurting her,” Ruijerd said, warily gazing over at
Roxy as she brandished her staff.

Roxy realized she’d completely misunderstood the situation. Her face
turned bright red as she averted her gaze to her feet.

She really did hate the Superd Tribe.

***

Ruijerd would escort the girls to Rudeus. When Paul’s group heard the
news, their reactions were mixed. Lilia and Ginger, who knew his true
strength and character, gave the plan their seal of approval, saying they could
be assured that the girls would arrive safely if Ruijerd was the one escorting
them.

Vierra and Sherra both exchanged looks and nodded as if to say, Why
not? They knew Ruijerd was the one who had protected Rudeus as he
traversed the Demon Continent. He was strong enough to be reliable as well,
so they saw no problems with it.

Talhand was against the plan. Just like Roxy, he had grown up with
scary stories about the Superd Tribe, and heard anecdotes about how their
atrocities when he traveled the Demon Continent. There was no smoke
without a fire. Talhand had no doubt in his mind that Ruijerd had done
something terrible in the past. Even if he were on the path to redemption
now, that didn’t mean he could be trusted with a complete stranger’s loved
ones.

Roxy was partially against it. She knew she shouldn’t judge people
based on appearances or preconceived notions. It was just that… this was the
Superd Tribe they were talking about. Even after she understood that Ruijerd
didn’t present them any danger, she still remained cautious.

No, “cautious” wasn’t the right word. She was afraid. The Superd
Tribe was the embodiment of the fear she felt as a child, hearing all those
stories. Even though her village no longer told such stories about the Superd
Tribe, they’d been the best common way of disciplining children when she
was young. That was why she couldn’t fully mask her terror. Although she
intellectually understood that it was safe, the fear that had been instilled in
her as a child still froze her in place and made her wary.

So she said, “If you really think you can trust him, then go ahead.”

So there were four opinions: strongly for, partially for, against, and

partially against. Paul considered them all. He didn’t know Ruijerd that well.
The only time he’d had any contact with the man was when Ruijerd appeared
alongside Rudeus, and even then, they’d hardly talked.

At the time, he’d gotten the impression that Ruijerd was trustworthy.
However, it’d been several years since then, enough to change a person. Paul
knew this from personal experience. Heck, it didn’t require several years—a
single day was all it might take. Thus the question: Could Paul really trust
Ruijerd? Could he entrust him with the girls?

As he weighed the decision in his head, he looked downwards. There,
clinging to Ruijerd’s leg, was Norn. For a moment it was as if he were seeing
double—an image of himself with Norn clinging to his leg superimposed
over his vision. Norn was so shy with people that she hadn’t warmed up to
any adults other than him. Despite that, there she was, leaning against Ruijerd
as if he were her father instead.

Then again, Ruijerd was the one who saved her. When that drunk came
at her and she was crying, desperate for help, Ruijerd had stepped in as if it
were his duty. No doubt it was much the same when he stepped in to save
Rudeus as well. He moved without consideration for the consequences. Most
likely, he hadn’t changed at all.

“Can I trust you with them?” The words left Paul’s mouth before he
even realized he was speaking.

Ruijerd immediately returned his gaze. “Even if it costs me my life, I
will deliver them to Rudeus.” His reply was both sincere and encouraging.
Reflected in Ruijerd’s eyes was a sense of duty and determination. He had
the face of a warrior, one earned over many moons, something that Paul
didn’t possess. If this was deception, then Paul didn’t know what was real
anymore.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Paul extended a hand. Ruijerd took it and
they exchanged a firm handshake.

That was how Ruijerd became Norn and Aisha’s bodyguard.

About the Author:
Rifujin na Magonote

Resides in Gifu Prefecture. Loves fighting games and cream puffs.
Inspired by other published works on the website Let’s Be Novelists, they
created the webnovel Mushoku Tensei. They instantly gained readers’
support, and within one year of publishing on the website, became #1 on the
site’s combined popularity rankings. “If you want to get married and be
happy, it’s important to put in effort even after you get married,” said the
author.

Thank you for reading!

Get the latest news about your favorite Seven Seas books and brand-new
licenses delivered to your inbox every week:

Sign up for our newsletter!

Or visit us online:

gomanga.com/newsletter