I took both of their recruitment cards and thought of summoning them.
[Do you wish to summon Lilia?]
[Do you wish to summon Ghislaine Dedoldia?]
"Yes and no" came as options, and I immediately chose yes and yes.
[Do you wish to use Background Customisation Card?]
I think this is the card I got before — the one that lets me customise the background of my summons, or even my own identity if I travel to another world. But since external beings couldn't use mana, I didn't use it back in Mushoku Tensei.
I once tried to use it to create a "Magic Academy Student" background, but the card rejected it, saying I didn't have enough mana or adaptation at the time.
Let's see how it works here.
I first checked Lilia's default background:
"An orphan from a small fallen noble family of Midgar, who once practised Battle Will and now makes a living as a maid."
Damn, she's actually noble. Even if her title is gone, still damn.
I tried removing the word "fallen", but it didn't work, apparently, noble status requires owning property and being a landlord over farmers or villagers atleast.
So… no living beings allowed, huh?
Let's try something else. I attempted to make her someone who knew Demon Lord Milim, but that wasn't possible either. A notification popped up saying:
[Only minor alterations allowed.]
Alright then, small things it is.
I changed her to owning a small shop in the capital and it worked. But damn, the cost…
[Cost: 5x original value according to market rate.]
Fuck.
But Still, it's good to know I can acquire legal property anywhere I want, if I pay the price. Though I can't change much right now since I don't have enough money.
Next, I checked Ghislaine. Her default background said:
"A feline demi-human mercenary."
I tried changing mercenary to adventurer and it worked. Her rank showed as D, with a maximum possible promotion up to B. I decided to leave her at D for now.
I also changed her current location to Midgar, since apparently her original service area was in another kingdom. Luckily, this didn't cost much.
After finalising everything, I clicked OK.
[Using Summoning Card x2]
So, each one consumed one card. Looks like summoning anyone without a summoning card isn't possible.
The next second, both Lilia and Ghislaine appeared in front of me.
Hmm… Lilia's holding something in her hand.
"My Lady," both spoke at once. I noticed Ghislaine's single eye darting toward Lilia.
I nodded to calm them down and activated Mana Perception. Yes, they both had magicules.
"Do you have any skills?" I asked.
Ghislaine went first. "I have Mana Perception and Self-Regeneration."
Lilia followed, "My Lady, I don't have any particular skills"
They still have mana from Their world so does it mean they were adapted to this world or is it GACHA who reconstructed their body but this makes me wonder will lack of mana in this world will affect them. I think it should not, also after they use up the reserve they won't be able to recover it, so I had said then to not use any of their past powers as precaution.
I had so many questions, but for now, I let them focus on settling in. Most of it was just a reminder since I had already told them everything they needed to know beforehand.
I also asked them a few quick questions for confirmation.
"I just know," Ghislaine replied simply when I asked how they were aware of their new skills.
Seems like they somehow instinctively understood their abilities as soon as they arrived.
Also, the thing Lilia was holding? It was the house token of her fallen family.
After that, I gave both of them a few more instructions, mostly reminders. Once done, I decided it was time to introduce them properly.
"Come on," I said, gesturing for them to follow.
We went downstairs, footsteps soft against the polished wooden floor. I could already sense Alpha's presence outside.
When I slid the door open, she was still in the middle of her sword swings, the blade cutting through the air with sharp precision.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
She didn't even notice us.
"Alpha," I called out gently.
Her sword halted mid-swing. She turned around immediately, eyes wide, expression a mix of surprise and… was that a flicker of fear? Her gaze darted between both summons, tense and uncertain.
I smiled softly, trying to ease the mood. "She is Lilia, our housemaid. She'll be taking care of us." I gestured toward the elegant maid, who bowed politely.
Then, turning slightly, I pointed toward the beastwoman beside me. "And this is Ghislaine Dedoldia, your sword instructor."
Alpha froze, her mouth slightly open, and a weak sound escaped her lips. "...I see."
Her tone was quiet, but I could feel the tension radiating from her, that subtle mix of hesitation and unease. The fear of discrimination wasn't lost on me.
Still, she worried far more than an artificial Majin ever would. After all, her majinization had been natural.
Because of that, her outward form remained unchanged, unlike Mjur, whose true form was completely altered by the process.
To most people, Alpha would just look like an elf with unusually strong mana. Unless someone used both Mana Perception and Appraisal at the same time or similar magic, it would be nearly impossible to tell she was a Majin. Mana Perception alone could only reveal the amount of magicules, not their nature. And while her reserves were far above average, that alone wasn't solid proof. Her elf heritage helped disguise it well.
Appraisal, on the other hand, was something people loved to act like everyone had. The series made it seem common, like breathing or a basic literacy skill. But the reality was far different. Very few actually possessed it.
It was an Extra Skill, yes, and technically learnable by anyone. But "learnable" didn't mean "accessible." Most people didn't even have Mana Perception, and that was supposed to be one of the easiest extra skills to acquire.
Although every top level player have them but the one I am dealing are low level only.
In the end, despite how flashy this world looked from the outside, it was still full of limits, and I planned to exploit every one of them.
"Don't be nervous." I reached out and patted Alpha's head gently; she always calmed down when I did that. "They're similar to you. I saved them too."
Her trembling eased, and I saw a faint glimmer of warmth return to her eyes.
Both of my new summons nodded silently. I'd already explained Alpha's situation to Lilia earlier, and Lilia, in turn, had shared it with Ghislaine. The two looked at Alpha with quiet pity, a kind of understanding that only came from pain.
After all, they both knew what it meant to be cast aside. Lilia had been rejected by her own father for not living up to his expectations, while Ghislaine had been ostracised by her tribe. Both had felt that heavy, suffocating loneliness before, the kind that carved scars deep inside you.
Perhaps sensing no ill intent from them, Alpha finally seemed to relax. She tilted her head slightly, curiosity peeking through her calm tone. "But… aren't you already teaching me?"
I smiled faintly. "Yes, but she's more experienced than I am."
If two people had the same skillset, energy reserves, and physique, then the deciding factor in combat would always be how they used those skills and how much experience they had built over time.
And when it came to experience, Ghislaine easily outclassed me.
"Letting her teach you will help you improve faster," I said, my tone calm but firm. "Meanwhile, I'll be handling some other matters."
There were quite a few of those.
First, I needed to find out if the other Seven Shadows members existed in this world and if any of them had been possessed. Then there was the Cult of Diablo. The bandits I interrogated earlier didn't seem to know anything about them, so maybe I should start targeting nobles instead. Someone among them has to know something.
Then there's the matter of the worlds I've mashed together with Tensura. So far, I've confirmed Eminence in Shadow and Goblin Slayer elements, but there might be others.
I am familiar with some other kingdom name but still need confirmation to say anything.
Sigh. Who would've thought the girl I saved that day was the Sword Maiden? She's still quite young right now. Honestly, if Alpha hadn't appeared, I probably wouldn't have realised it at all.
I'd like to be happy about saving her, but her existence raises another problem: the gods. I still don't know how the divine hierarchy works in this merged world.
In Goblin Slayer, one of the gods was rumoured to have once been human before ascending to divinity. If that's true here too, that complicates things.
I need to find out, and soon, because there are too many church in this world each one worship a specific god. The most prominent in this and the nearby kingdoms is the so-called Supreme God of Law and Justice, the one Sword Maiden worships in canon.
If that god really exists here as a real divine being, then the number of divine beings are much more, just the thought sends a chill down my spine.
It's a pity Shizue didn't know anything about them, otherwise she might've shared something useful. Then again, just because Leon spared her and let her serve as his bodyguard doesn't mean he'd actually tell her anything important. Even if she did know, I doubt she'd casually share divine secrets over tea.
Ugh, so much for my peaceful isekai life.
.....
Clang! Clang!
I parried Ghislaine's slash and went on the offensive.
Right now, both of us were sparring, though it was more of a demonstration for Alpha, who was watching us with stars in her eyes, a regular routine for us now.
She kept cheering me on, a bit too enthusiastically, honestly, but I appreciated it. I needed the motivation since I was clearly not winning. It was only a matter of time before I lost; after all, this was a pure swordsmanship match.
If it were an actual life-and-death battle, she'd already be dead. Though Ghislaine's physique had improved a lot after coming here, she was stronger, faster, and more durable, I was confident I could still kill her if I needed to.
Still, the match was worth it. I could feel myself improving with every exchange. My Rudeus template assimilation had definitely progressed.
Now, time to end this.
I focused all my attention on Ghislaine. Her tail, ears, and abs tried their best to distract me, but I knew my priorities.
Using Mathematician, I predicted her next movement: a leftward swing. I turned to my left and ducked slightly, letting her blade pass harmlessly over my head before bringing mine up to her neck.
"I win," I said, lowering my sword. She stepped back with a nod.
I wasn't particularly proud of the victory. If anything, it just proved I was still weaker than Ghislaine in swordsmanship. I wasn't ashamed of that, but I couldn't afford to show it in front of Alpha, not when she was finally starting to believe in me.
Though soon enough, I planned to let her win a few matches to remind her I wasn't omnipotent.
For now, I sheathed my sword and turned to my maid, who stood beside Alpha.
"Lilia, come to my room," I said, wiping the sweat off my forehead. "I have something to ask you."
**************
Should I continue this or update my other FFs for some time?