[Claude POV]
It's been several months since I began training under Paul.
As I arrived at Paul's home on that rainy day, I spotted Rudeus sitting on his knees, shoulders slumped in what appeared to be punishment posture. The scent of wet earth filled the air as raindrops drummed steadily against the roof.
"Oh, did Rudy strip Sylph already?" I snickered, water dripping from my soaked clothes onto the wooden floor.
"Welcome, Claude," Lilia greeted me with her usual formal tone, while Paul's face twisted into an annoyed grimace.
"Sigh... Claude, what's up?" Paul asked. Since we didn't have any training scheduled today, he was clearly wondering about my unexpected visit.
"I brought some spare clothes and snacks from my mom," I explained, motioning to the small package tucked under my arm. "Got caught in the downpour on the way. Anyway, were Rudy and Luffy just doing adult things?" I added, giving Paul a knowing sidelong glance. I called Sylphy by her childhood nickname, Luffy, since that's what her parents used.
"What do you mean by that side glance? Damn, it seems like I need to train you harsher," Paul growled, the vein in his temple visibly throbbing. What's wrong with this adult? Is he really an adult? Why would he get mad over a simple tease?
"What... Who doesn't know about your perverseness in the village?" I shot back. "The traveling merchants already spread your tales far and wide."
"Who is the bastard spreading rumors about me?! I'll hack him to pieces," Paul snarled, deliberately turning away from Zenith's piercing stare. I could see him shrinking under her gaze. Don't act tough, you henpecked husband.
You're the one who boasted in front of him. It's your damn fault. Who'd believe that Paul himself had spilled these stories while drunk, bragging about his exploits to any merchant who'd listen? I truly didn't pity whatever was coming to him later...
"Anyway, what's up?" I asked, glancing toward the embarrassed Sylphiette hiding behind Zenith and Lilia, her green hair peeking out as she clutched at Zenith's dress.
I had been training with Paul for the past six months. Aside from combat lessons, I occasionally helped my parents with their work at the smithy, the familiar rhythm of metal striking metal becoming part of my daily life.
After six long months, I finally completed my reading, writing, and arithmetic lessons, but discovered that my swordsmanship still left much to be desired.
What about my primary training? The swordsmanship...
Well, I was shit.
A shitty mob character that's just slightly better than the law...
I mean, I knew I wasn't a prodigy... But I actually couldn't even win against Law, the self-proclaimed village tough guy who named himself as Sylphy's father.
I sure was weak...
I was still better than Rudy, though. It had been two months since I beat him in a sword fight. But I'd never win if he used his magic—the air would crackle with energy whenever he practiced, a reminder of the power he commanded so easily.
Aside from training in the Sword God style under Paul, I also dabbled with magic. I could only produce a water squirt and an ember, or a small rock and a gentle breeze. But, hey, at least I could still use every element of basic spells.
There was also another benefit—I had been increasing my mana through training with Rudy. Before sleeping each night, I exhausted my mana completely and slept like the dead, theorizing that this might help expand my capacity. Though the results weren't as impressive as what Rudy and Luffy achieved, I wouldn't complain as long as there was still improvement. The familiar tingle of mana flowing through my body grew stronger each week.
"Damn you, Claude, why did you never tell me Sylphy is actually a girl?" Rudy suddenly accused, pointing a finger at me as though blaming me for his incompetence.
"Eh, I never told you?" I feigned innocence. Truth was, I deliberately withheld that information and avoided bringing it up. But he should have realized it himself.
"You never did!"
"Heck, where have you seen a boy this cute? Are your eyes merely decoration?" I asked, gesturing toward Sylphy, whose delicate features and soft expression would be difficult for anyone to mistake.
"I thought she was a pretty boy!" Rudeus shouted indignantly, his cheeks flushing.
"Hah, such a stupid excuse... Look, Paul, your son is such a dense bastard..."
I stopped mid-sentence and turned to Zenith, whose serene face showed hints of amusement.
"See, Zenith? Like father, like son... you need to discipline Rudeus. Otherwise, you'll create Paul number two!"
I could see Paul fuming as he swung at me. The motion sent a gust of air past my ear as I deftly sidestepped.
"Getting old, Paul?" I taunted.
"Damn, you cheeky..." Paul growled, his face reddening with each passing second.
Laughter soon rose, filling the room with warmth, and everyone seemed to forget about Rudy's actions after he apologized to Sylphy. I rubbed my head while staring at Paul begrudgingly after he managed to land a hit when I wasn't looking.
"Who hits a child this hard? What a sore loser... Zenith... heal me..." I begged Zenith to ease my throbbing head.
Aside from the childish Paul, Zenith was actually a remarkable woman. I often wondered how she could fall for someone like Paul and choose to live such a humble life. But her work at the clinic was valuable to the village—her healing magic soothing ailments that would otherwise cause tremendous suffering.
Anyway, I should address the looming disaster—the mass teleportation incident, or should I call it metastasis?
We could all agree that it was too abrupt in the story.
Everything happened in a flash, without any real sign or warning.
You couldn't say a floating ball that did nothing for months was a proper sign...
It just suddenly appeared and exploded after some time without any alarm.
So what kind of countermeasure could I make?
Should I tell the adults about it and make myself a prophet?
Absolutely not. While I had knowledge of definite future events, I didn't know everything about the actual end. I only knew about the Mushoku Tensei timeline from Wikipedia and other general information that I could gather quickly by talking to the merchants who passed through our village.
Then, what should I do?
It was actually pretty simple: increase the villagers' knowledge and preparedness.
How should I do this? This became another question to answer.
A village had a peculiar tendency—information, no matter how small, became the primary source of entertainment. Whether it was the gossip I extracted from Paul about his womanizing ways or Somar's mother's suspected infidelity with Paul, all these things circulated around the village with remarkable efficiency. It was actually somewhat frightening how quickly rumors spread.
So at the start of the month, I began deliberately circulating stories about slave merchants and their atrocities, attributing these tales to the traveling merchants who passed through.
I simply asked a traveling merchant about the topic, and after some light conversation, he revealed everything he knew without much prompting.
Within just one month, methods for identifying and dealing with slave merchants were already common knowledge, with parents arranging to teach their children defensive tactics should such merchants appear nearby.
When my information campaign was complete, I ventured into the woods and claimed to have found suspicious tracks. I created false trails and told Paul to warn the villagers.
My plan succeeded, and parents began teaching their children how to evade those slave merchants with remarkable enthusiasm. They even hired adventurers to teach their children self-defense. Although they couldn't afford high-ranked adventurers, I could still pull strings in the background to improve the children's training.
This was progressing nicely.
I thought these slave merchant discussions would taper off around the third month, but they persisted. So I simply followed the momentum and created stories about slave merchants in other kingdoms, then on other continents.
What were their preferred commodities? Which continents did they usually operate in?
I shared this information consistently until the sixth month, when the incident with Rudy stripping Sylphy occurred.
Oh well, the time limit before the metastasis was still around seven more years. So, preparations could continue at a steady pace.
As I warmed up my body in the pre-dawn darkness, the moon still hung overhead, but my internal clock told me morning was approaching, so I began my run.
I typically started my morning exercise by jogging around the village. Once or twice around the perimeter was sufficient. Then I would scan the nearby trees for a suitable branch for pull-ups.
It was challenging to find a branch of the appropriate size for my grip. But with time and practice, I could now distinguish at a glance which ones would support my weight and which might snap.
For example, there was this large but brittle branch that crumbled once I gripped it. Then there was a deceptively thin branch that remained strong even when I applied my full weight.
Over these six months, I'd learned to differentiate them effortlessly with just a quick assessment.
As I finished my pull-ups, the ground below the tree had become muddy with my sweat. I continued with sit-ups and reverse pull-ups, then cooled down by soaking myself in the river, the cold water soothing my burning muscles.
It was refreshing to immerse myself in the flowing water. By the time I finished bathing, the sun had risen above the horizon. I spotted Sylphy skipping happily toward Paul's house, her green hair catching the early morning light.
"Isn't it too early to head to your beloved?" I called out teasingly.
Sylphy jumped, looking around frantically before spotting me. "...sigh... So it's Claude. You frightened me."
She seemed to remember the warnings about slavers, becoming instantly vigilant at an unexpected voice. Good job, Sylph.
Wow, she hadn't even noticed this hunk in the river. As expected, a maiden in love truly was blind to everything else.
"Hmmm, spring has come for Luffy, huh," I teased, watching her cheeks flush pink.
"Uuu, don't tease me, Claude. It's not like I think that way! I mean, it's not like I don't like Rudy..." Her voice trailed off as she began rambling about her feelings. Well, she was only six years old. I wasn't expecting the eloquence of an adult.
"...Anyway, I'm going to Rudy's! Do you want to come along, Claude?" she asked, though I could hear the reluctance in her voice.
"Nah, not going to disturb you lovebirds... and unlike you jobless kids, I have work with my father at the smithy." The thought of the hot forge waiting for me made me almost regret my morning swim.
"Umumumu, you're so cheeky for a child..." she glared at me, clearly offended by my 'jobless' remark.
I simply shrugged, jumped onto the riverbank, and began drying myself with my towel.
"Hide it, Claude! You're so shameless!" she squealed, turning away dramatically.
"Huh? What is it? It's not like it's your first time seeing a nude boy, right?" I smirked, pointedly referring to the fact that she had already seen Rudy naked.
Her face turned crimson as she ran away. I waved and called out, "Take care," but she ignored me completely.
Oh well, time to head to the smithy...
Pops would surely yell at me if I were late, his booming voice carrying across the entire village.
[Claude's Father POV]
My son is weird...
I know that he used to be a crappy, haughty, and cocky child who enjoyed bullying others. Somar and Mike only added fuel to the fire since Claude was always the mastermind behind their mischief. He was the brains behind all those pranks and trouble!
I recognized it easily because I was exactly the same at his age!
But after his little gang was defeated, he suddenly turned over a new leaf.
I always knew he was intelligent, but lately, he's been improving in ways I never expected.
Sometimes I even wonder if this is truly my child anymore. Just look at his chiseled body...
There's no way an 8-year-old child should have those kinds of abs, biceps, and triceps that rival even Paul's physique...
Damn, I envy my own child's body. I feel somewhat perverse, discussing my son's physique like this, but it's remarkable.
Since the day he was defeated by Rudeus, Claude suddenly began working out with incredible determination. A mere month after starting his regimen, he was swimming confidently in the river that even grown men avoided.
The current there was treacherously strong, but he navigated it efficiently, swimming through the rushing water as though it were nothing...
He wakes up long before sunrise, measuring time with precision like those clock-obsessed people in the city. It must be around 3 or 4 in the morning when he begins.
That early in the day, even without a clock, I can sense it. Claude works out relentlessly until 8 in the morning, then helps me by drawing water for the smithy or heating the furnace.
Recently, he's even started tempering iron himself.
Damn, my son is extraordinarily talented.
I bet he inherited his talent from me; he's become so skilled that he can outperform me in iron tempering.
My son is so gifted that his father can't help but grow cocky and proud.
I'll go to the pub tonight to brag about him!
I bet those bastards there will be green with envy. What brings me particular joy is Paul's expression, which always turns red whenever I compare Claude with Rudeus.
He must feel so embarrassed as a young father from the city!
Hahaha, another pleasant evening awaits.
I'll choose to overlook Claude's occasional nighttime wanderings and his early morning returns these past few days. I'm not particularly curious about what he does—I trust my 8-year-old son. He wouldn't do anything truly wrong!
I am a great father, and my wife is a wonderful mother too. Even though we suspect something unusual is happening with him, as long as he doesn't share his reasons, there's no need for us to pry. Everyone has secrets they wish to protect, and I can see that whatever this secret is, it's making Claude a better person.
"I wonder what my boy is doing behind my back," I mused aloud as I skipped toward the bar. "I hope he doesn't suddenly bring home a child and a wife..."
Well, of course he won't... those parts haven't even developed at his age. They haven't even started producing anything yet... at least according to that book I purchased from the merchant. Hmm, perhaps I'll learn more tonight and become a better person myself.
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