THE TIME PASSED
I turned five years old.
Although we didn't even know the day I was born, the old man—Rubén—took the day he found me as my birthday. That day, he surprised me with a gift wrapped in an old piece of cloth.
Apparently, as I understood it, in this world the first years are not that important and birthdays are only celebrated every 5 years.
—Open it, boy —he said, crossing his arms, but there was a distinct sparkle in his eyes.
When I released the cloth, I saw a sword.
Too big. Too heavy.
To be honest, I could barely lift it... but it was beautiful.
—It's not a very good sword, though —Rubén said, scratching his head—, but it was one of my favorites when I was an adventurer.
I stared at it as if it were a legendary treasure.
—It's amazing... thank you very much, Grandpa.
I tried to give him a hug, but he put his hand on my forehead and pushed me slightly back.
—Hey, hey. How many times have I told you I don't want any sentimentality? A simple "thank you" is enough for me —he said, looking away.
But I knew he was very happy.
The Next Day
Rubén threw a wooden sword at me without warning.
—Alright, Arthur. It's time to teach you how to swing a sword —he said, backing away a few steps—. Listen well: I'll teach you the Sword God Style. So pay attention... unless you want to end up covered in bruises.
At that moment, he took his stance, and his aura changed.
—Ready? —he smiled with a face so terrifying that it made my skin crawl.
And then he launched a slash so fast I barely saw it coming.
—Hey, old man! Don't you think you're a bit too excited? —I tried to block, but his blow sent me straight to the ground—. Aaaaaa! Damn old man...
—Come on, get up. This is the kind of training I did when I was about your age. I will correct you as we fight.
—What kind of training is that? —I groaned.
But then I had an idea.
Great Sage... help me learn this style.
"Analyzing Sword God Style... click... clack... Style acquired."
I felt as if my body remembered something it had never done.
I adopted the correct stance without thinking.
Rubén raised an eyebrow.
—Aha... this is something else. Good. This time, I'm defending. Attack!
I rushed towards him.
My movements flowed effortlessly and quickly.
Rubén defended easily, but I noticed his surprise.
—This brat... —he muttered.
But it didn't last long.
During a defense, he pushed harder than normal, and I flew backward, falling on my back to the ground.
—Ugh... ugh... I can't take it anymore... —I was breathing as if I were about to die. Although I had learned the style through the Great Sage, I still lacked combat experience.
Exhausted, I stood up again.
—Let's go again!
And we trained almost all afternoon, because after that I trained magic on my own, since Rubén had already taught me the few basic spells he knew. And those were Water Magic: Water Ball, Wind Magic: Air Blast, and Fire Magic: Spark.
When I asked him why he didn't buy a spellbook, as I wanted to learn more, he said:
—Impossible, those books cost too much, we can barely afford to buy food for our travels, although we have the option of hunting, I don't like always having to cook —he replied.
I just nodded, I couldn't ask him for more, he had already done so much for me.
Arthur at Age 6
Rubén's Point of View
Damn it... that stomach pain again... It won't leave me alone.
I subtly pressed my hand against my side. Arthur was busy training with the sword.
I can't let him notice... he'll worry too much and won't concentrate on his training.
Arthur looked up:
—Grandpa? Are you alright?
I smiled at him, as if nothing was wrong.
—What? What are you looking at? Keep practicing. You can barely be called an intermediate swordsman of the Sword God Style.
"It seems this body is starting to fail a bit. I have to hold on. At least until he is capable of surviving on his own" —he thought to himself...
Arthur's Point of View
One year passed...
My sword style, my magic, and my strength were eventually growing—my height was a bit taller than those normally my age.
I was already a very decent intermediate sword user, on the verge of reaching advanced level.
My spells were much more powerful, and I spent less mana. Oh, by the way, I could also use magic without chanting —this occurred to me because I had seen it in an anime, I don't remember which one it was— with the help of the Great Sage.
That was my day-to-day life during those years.
Blows. Falls, fights.
And also laughter, hot food, and trips to different towns.
On one of those routes, we overheard some merchants.
—Did you hear? The Asura Kingdom... completely disappeared.
—They say it was 4 years ago... no one knows what happened. Many were swallowed by the light...
Hearing that, everything clicked. I already knew why the places and some of the stories my grandfather told me felt so familiar—this is the world of "Mushoku Tensei"—I said, shocked.
—Then if I'm right, that event is "The Mana Displacement" —I grabbed my head with both arms, even more agitated.
—Hey, what's wrong with the kid, he's a little strange —a merchant asked Rubén.
—Don't mind him, he's almost always like that when he's thinking about something —he replied, looking at Arthur, who was acting a little weird.
—What do I do, what do I do, in this world there are too many powerful characters, and especially that god Hitogami, will he have me in his sights for being a variable —I thought, scared.
«...Host, don't worry, I haven't detected anyone trying to enter your mind...»
Ah —I sighed— I guess I'm not in that guy's sights yet —I put my hand on my chest— then I'll have to train much harder —I said with determination.
--
The Old Man's Illness
One day, just a few days before I turned 9—everything changed.
It started with a cough.
Then it turned into a fever.
Then, whole days without being able to get out of bed.
In my desperation, I asked the Great Sage to analyze what disease the old man had.
«Analyzing... click... clack... Disease detected: Advanced Cancer.»
—No... it can't be, you're kidding, right... —I said breathlessly.
«..Analyzing again....confirmed...no errors in the analysis..»
I looked at Grandpa.
Lying down. Pale. Heavy breathing.
How didn't I notice before...
—Healing magic exists, right? He can be saved...
«Error. Insufficient data on healing magic.»
—Damn it! —I hit the table— It's true, I don't know any healing spells!
I took care of him every day.
I tried everything.
Remedies. Herbs. Just like with my few savings, I called a healer—it didn't work either—although the only good thing is that I managed to learn how to use healing magic and purification magic, which didn't help much as it only relieved his pain.
Even stupid prayers that didn't work.
Until that day arrived.
Arthur's Point of View
We had been staying in a room at a tavern in the Shirone Kingdom.
I came back with materials I had found.
—Grandpa, look what I got. With this, we can pay for a higher-ranking healer now —I said, placing them on the table.
I approached him.
—Grandpa... —I moved him gently.
He didn't respond.
I moved him harder.
—Come on... wake up...
I leaned on his chest.
There was no heartbeat.
My body trembled.
I felt something break inside me.
Tears fell, unstoppable.
—G... Grandpa... —I whispered with a thread of a voice.
I don't know how long I stayed there.
When I finally managed to move, I saw there was a letter on the table next to the bed.
Trembling, I opened it.
The Letter
"Arthur...
I guess by the time you read this, I won't be here to scold you.
Thank you for filling the last years of this old man's life.
You are stronger and more stubborn than you think.
Don't live with regrets. Don't stop.
Laugh, eat well, make friends, and find something to protect.
Don't call me grandpa just because... but I admit I liked it.
Live a good life, my dear grandson."
Tears fell again onto the paper.
—I promise you... Grandpa... I will live a life... —I clenched my fist— a life that would make you proud.
I decided to cremate his body. I prepared an urn.
When the flames died down, I carefully collected his ashes.
"Don't worry..." I whispered. "I'll take you with me and find a place where I can visit you." I hugged the urn, trying to remember the good times with Grandpa.
End of chapter