Mushoku Tensei II – 08 – Love Is in the Air

Rudy finds himself on better terms with Rinia and Pursena now that they consider him their alpha, but he has to apologize for the three of them when Cliff Grimoire complains about the noise they make goofing off in class. Later, Rudy catches Cliff being beaten up by six fellow students, who immediately flee when Quagmire shows up.

Cliff’s deal is that he’s got the hots for Elinalise, and he got into the fight by protecting her honor. Rudy happens to know that Elinalise is indeed guilty of all of the rumors about her sleeping around—at least as guilty as someone suffering from a curse can be, at least. Even so, Cliff has it bad, and wants an introduction.

Rudy confers with—who else—Fitz on this, and it actually gives Sylphie an opportunity to say that she likes “someone”, even though she still won’t come out and tell him who. She believes it’s fine to introduce them, and everything that happens from then on isn’t Rudy’s problem.

Rudy follows Fitz’s advice, but when he introduces Elinalise to Cliff, she snatches Rudy up for a quick sidebar. If she believes her curse won’t allow her to be monogamous, than Rudy tells her she should reject Cliff. But the next day, he finds that Cliff and Elinalise have become a couple. She’s determined to behave herself, while he’s determined to lift her curse.

Elinalise isn’t the only one with suitors. Rinia and Pursena have many dozens of suitors, but as they have appointed Rudy their “boss”, he stands in for their parents as the arbitor of who is worthy of their hand in marriage. The first such suitor to challenge Rudy is immediately defeated.

The next one…is a little trickier. For one thing, he’s immense, and gray with flowing purple hair, and sports no less than six arms (though two are seemingly always flexing). This is none other than Demon King Badigadi, Kishirisu Kishirika’s fiancé. He’s heard good things about Rudy, and wants to fight him.

Fitz brings Rudy his staff, and Rudy asks if Badigadi will spare his life if he wins. It hasn’t been long since the “Dragon God” almost killed him, after all. Badigadi also seems to know of the Man-God, but doesn’t know anything about him. The Demon King agrees to accept defeat if Rudy can wound him with a single blow.

Rudy conjures the sharpest, fastest-spinning drill bit his mana can create, and it does the trick: when the smoke clears, Badigadi is a fraction of the size he was and missing a couple of arms. He heals himself, but accepts defeat, which means Rinia and Pursena don’t have to worry about any suitors.

Badigadi doesn’t leave without planting his own blow on Rudy, resulting in a comically swollen cheek that Fitz easily heals before leaving Rudy to rest. The next day in class, Rinia and Pursena are grateful. But who should arrive in class as an (apparent) new transfer student but Badigadi and his bawdy laugh. Unfortunately the needle doesn’t move on Rudy learning who Fitz is, but he’s certainly building up a reputation as the strongest student at Ranoa.

Mushoku Tensei II – 07 – Right to Remain Silent Fitz

Mirroring Rudy’s narration last week, this time it’s Sylphie’s turn to describe a typical day as Silent Fitz, Ranoa student and bodyguard to Princess Ariel. She goes on a morning run just like him, because it’s what she thinks he’d do. Indeed, the one constant in her description of her day is how much she’s thinking about Rudy. There’s the sense that something has to give at some point.

Rudy and Zanoba’s training of Juliette—whom Rudy makes clear is no longer a slave, but an apprentice, disciple, and little sister—is going well. She’s already able to conjure clay without an incantation. But “disaster” strikes when Rudy insists on seeing the Roxy figurine he made for Zanoba, and learns it was been smashed to pieces…by the girls from Doldia.

Rudy’s righteous, zealous side emerges, as he wastes no time confronting Rinia and Pursena and challenging them to a fight. When Rinia doesn’t rise to his initial provocations, Rudy makes fun of her saying “meow” to end her sentences, which sets her off like a bomb. While she’s quick and vicious, Rinia is no match for Rudy, and he ends up knocking out and bagging both beast girls.

When Rinia and Pursena come to, they’re tied up and gagged in Rudy’s dorm. They assume he intends to do naughty things, but when his Lil’ Rudy doesn’t respond after he gropes their breasts, so he abandons that tack. He shows them what they did (the shattered figurine) and why it’s a crime against his faith. He also shows them the holy relic of Roxy’s panties, which…is a choice.

After asking Fitz for advice on how to get retribution without continuing a cycle of revenge, Rudy and Fitz return to find the two have wet themselves, complain about being hungry, and have started to call him “Boss” unbidden. Rudy, inexperienced in keeping people captive (probably for the best) unintentionally brought them to heel.

After the girls are cleaned up, Fitz’s solution to properly punish them is to draw on their faces and warn them that a simple incantation will make the marks permanent tattoos.

The Doldia girls leave in peace, still calling Rudy “Boss” and impressed that his master was Rinia’s aunt, Ghislaine. Perhaps their next interaction won’t be so adversarial (or inappropriate). As for Fitz’s threat, it was a lie; the paint was just ordinary paint, and there’s no permanence spell. But hey, it worked!

Sylphie uses this opportunity to spend a little more time alone with Rudy in his dorm, even lying down on his bed (though he makes sure she doesn’t see the Holy Relic). Rudy thinks about what would happen if he reached over and removed the mask over Fitz’s eyes, and right on queue, Fitz asks if he wants to see his whole face.

Sylphie almost takes the shades off, but stops short, saying she’s under orders from the princess. They bid each other good night, both having walked right up to the point of no return before retreating. It’s perhaps the furthest Rudy’s come to learning Fitz’s true identity, but the ball remains in Sylphie’s court.

She knows this is Rudy. She only needs to take off the shades say the words and he’ll realize who she really is. She’s not quite ready, but I have to think at some point she will be, or her identity will be revealed accidentally. Either way, it’s looking more like the true cure for Rudy’s ED won’t be some spell or potion he’ll learn at Ranoa, but might be Silent Fitz, i.e. Sylphie, herself.