Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Vol. 17

The journey from Rinoa to the kingdom of Asura usually took several months. But fortunately, we had access to the teleportation circles. Our first stop was Perugius' floating fortress, where we could teleport ourselves and our carriage to a spot just north of the Asuran border. From there, we'd be traveling more conventionally down to our destination. Wow, this is incredible, Rudeus. That town's just a tiny speck from up here. Eris hopped from her horse in excitement within moments of our arrival at the fortress. With her mouth wide open, she stared over the edge at the ground below, then snapped her gaze to look up at Perugius' imposing castle. She looked more like a kid at an amusement park than a 20-year-old woman. It was definitely cute, but I think most of us also felt a little secondhand embarrassment. Still, her obvious excitement seemed to please Perugius' servant, Silverille, who'd been waiting for us in front of the teleportation circle. How do you like the view from our floating fortress, Chaos Breaker, miss? It's amazing, replied Eris with a big smile. I've never seen anything like this before. Silverille nodded, looking very satisfied indeed. I guess she had a soft spot for the little ray of sunshine types. Understandable. It's kind of you to say so. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Silverille of the Void, first among the servants of Lord Perugius. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Eris Greyrat. By this point, Eris was shooting eager glances at the castle. Picking up on her enthusiasm, Silverille led the way forward, taking her on a kind of guided tour. The rest of us followed behind, watching them while smiling. Eventually, our party arrived at the audience hall. There you are. Just like the last time, we found Perugius leaning in his tall chair with a haughty expression and his loyal spirits at his side. We were mainly stopping by today to pay our respects. Ariel took a graceful step forward, ready to deliver some formal spiel. But before she could get a word out, Eris broke from the group and strode right up to the master of the castle. And who are you supposed to be? Perugius asked, sizing her up with a glance. I had a vision of Eris leaping forward to take a swing at him, and a chill ran down my spine. The man was more indulgent than you'd expect, but that didn't mean he would tolerate that kind of disrespect. As I stepped forward to intervene, however, Eris abruptly dropped to one knee. It's an honor to meet you, sir. I'm Eris Greyrat, who recently became Rudeus' wife. Thank you for your hospitality. I stopped in my tracks and blinked in surprise. I am Perugius Dola, known as the Armored Dragon King. I know of you, Eris Greyrat. You're the so-called Berserker Sword King who challenged Orsted himself, yes? It's nothing worth boasting of, sir, but I am. Eris was speaking in an unusually humble tone, but the words were coming out a little flat and forced. I was beginning to suspect she'd actually memorized all of these lines beforehand. Well, Eris Greyrat, I find your modesty most endearing, continued Perugius, looking genuinely pleased. Allow me to apologize for that unfortunate incident eight years ago, when my subordinate assaulted you. Eris looked up with a dubious expression. Clearly, the girl didn't even remember what he was talking about. It's all water under the bridge. Is it? My thanks then, your most understanding. Chuckling softly, Perugius waved his hand in a lordly gesture of welcome. Eris rose to her feet and walked back to us with a satisfied smirk. I could practically hear her saying, see, I can handle this stuff just fine when I put my mind to it. The girl really had rehearsed this whole thing. I was fully convinced of that now.