Chapter 28: The Thunderous Cumulonimbus and the Unexpected Bathing Mishap

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After hearing Allen’s words, Rudeus’s face grew even more troubled.

A wave of jealousy stirred within him. Roxy had only encountered this man once on the road, so how was it that she seemed to have told him everything?

‘This won’t do... If things continue like this, it’ll be bad. Two months... I have to work hard. Even if I can’t defeat Allen, I must at least put on a convincing show of trading blows with him. That way, when Roxy sees us in the future, she won’t fall for someone else... Though, come to think of it, she isn’t in love with me in the first place...’

Allen, however, impatiently interrupted his train of thought.

“Well? You must still have enough mana, right?”

Rudeus pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I do have enough... but will this really awaken her interest in magic?”

Hearing this, Allen turned and looked at Sylphie with great seriousness.

“...I am absolutely certain that you have greater talent in magic. That is why I have been doing everything I can to make you study it. Perhaps our little demonstration just now wasn’t impressive enough. The magic we’re about to see is powerful enough to alter natural phenomena, and it is the highest-level spell Rudeus knows. Watch carefully.”

Sylphie blinked as she studied Allen’s expression.

“Ac... actually... if you really think I have no talent for swordsmanship... then I can study magic too... I’m not picky... You’re all only thinking of what’s best for me...”

Before she could finish, Allen had already risen to his feet. Pretending not to hear the latter half of her sentence, he addressed Rudeus with undisguised excitement.

“Come on, Rudeus! It’s time to let me—let us—witness the legendary spectacle of Water Saint-class magic!”

The corner of Rudeus’s mouth twitched.

‘Oh, come on. I see what’s going on here. You’re the one who wants to watch it, aren’t you?’

He could complain all he liked in his heart, but when he saw Allen—who had been helpless only moments earlier—now wearing an expression of boundless anticipation, a sense of accomplishment rose within him despite himself.

The Thunderous Raincloud meant far more to Rudeus than magic alone.

It was a stroke of vivid color in Roxy’s childhood.

Behind that seemingly divine stroke of inspiration lay Rudeus’s journey of undoing the knot within his heart and learning to accept the path of growth offered by the outside world.

It was courage rekindled from dead ashes. It was the resolve to try once more.

It was the adorable face of his blue-haired mother, forever making mistakes, and her soft-spoken encouragement delivered with feigned sternness.

And it was...

The stolen underwear.

‘Ahem. Since Allen kept my secret, I suppose I’ll be magnanimous enough to show him once.’

Thinking of the item enshrined in his personal shrine, Rudeus raised his hand and built a small earthen fortress for Sylphie and Allen before running down the hill.

“You must chant it! Don’t leave out a single word!”

Rudeus looked up at Allen, who had stuck his head above the hilltop and was waving his arms and cheering like an ecstatic fan. Then he drew out the talisman necklace Roxy had given him, which hung against his chest.

The metal pendant, formed from three interlocking spearheads, gleamed beneath the sunlight.

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‘Watch closely, Allen. This is proof of everything precious Roxy has brought into my life!’

He drew a deep breath, raised both hands, and lifted his head toward the sky. Then, with each word spoken clearly, solemnly, and devoutly, he began to chant.

“Majestic spirit of water, son of the Thunder Emperor who ascends the vault of heaven!”

The clouds in the sky curled and gathered together, blocking out the blazing sun and casting patches of shadow across the hill.

“Fulfill my desire. Bring forth a savage blessing, and let us lowly beings bear witness to your mighty power!”

The gentle breeze was gone. In its place, a violent wind lashed at Allen’s and Sylphie’s hair. In Allen’s eyes, the wild grass bowed one stalk after another, as though paying homage to the tiny figure beneath the hill.

“Strike the anvil with the hammer of the gods. Reveal your dread might, and let the floods submerge the entire earth!”

The clouds pressed down over their heads, transforming completely into dark and gloomy thunderclouds. Faint flashes of lightning snarled within them.

Allen was so excited that he sprang to his feet, unconsciously seizing Sylphie’s hand as he watched the scene unfold.

Sylphie, meanwhile, had been rendered speechless. She stared down in astonishment at Allen’s hand, her palm growing slick with sweat.

The chanting below had reached its final verse. The black clouds loomed overhead like tangible darkness, covering them all.

“Rain! Wash away all things and drive out all creation!”

“Thunderous Raincloud!”

For one brief instant, the gloomy clouds seemed to fall silent.

Then countless strands of rain shot down from the sky, striking the earth with sudden force. The thunderous pounding resounded for miles around the hill, while lightning writhed through the cracks between the clouds.

In the next instant, a flash of electricity pierced the air like a sword and dyed the world white.

For one fleeting moment, the small figure beneath the hill became clear in Allen’s pupils.

Between heaven and earth, Rudeus faced the sky. A smile slowly spread across his young face, more reckless and unrestrained than the thunder and lightning themselves.

There was not the slightest trace of his usual timidity.

This was his domain of magic.

This was also the mark he had left upon this world.

[You have facilitated Rudeus’s “shout.”]

[Your participation rating in the major events of Mushoku Tensei has increased.]

[Current stage: Childhood. Cumulative participation rating: 60 points.]

[Congratulations, host. Your participation in the major events of Mushoku Tensei’s childhood arc has reached a passing grade. The advanced mission has been activated by default. Please continue striving toward a perfect score. Additional rewards will be granted upon completion.]

Allen paid little attention to the system’s notifications. He merely looked at Rudeus beneath the hill and smiled from the bottom of his heart.

—

The rain was fierce and torrential.

By the time Rudeus ran back up the hill, the earthen fortress had already collapsed into a mudslide, drenching Allen and Sylphie from head to toe. Rudeus tried to maintain it along the way, but the rain was simply too heavy. Before the fortress could take shape again, it dissolved into muddy water and poured over all three of them.

Allen interrupted Rudeus as he attempted to disperse the Thunderous Raincloud, seized both of them, and dragged them toward the Greyrat residence.

Rudeus had explained that dispersing the Thunderous Raincloud would take considerable time. Rather than remain there being pelted by rain, it was better to channel battle aura at once and flee the area at top speed with the other two.

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When they returned home, the three of them were, as expected, thoroughly berated by Paul.

They were simply far too filthy, each looking like a little mud statue.

Lilia hurried to heat some water and prepare a bathing tub, which she placed inside Rudeus’s room before bowing and leaving. Since the first batch of hot water was insufficient, Allen went to the kitchen to help afterward.

It was worth mentioning that Rudeus’s family had only one bathroom. Thus, when bathing in the evenings, both Lilia and Rudeus would heat water, pour it into wooden tubs, and wash in their bedrooms, consciously leaving the bathroom for the Greyrat couple.

For some reason, Zenith had decided to take a bath in the middle of the day, so the three of them had no choice but to heat water and bathe as usual.

Allen stood bare-chested beside the busy Lilia. He felt that her hands were trembling slightly, though he had no idea whether she was simply exhausted from the day. Being considerate, he urged Lilia to go and rest so that she could help Zenith prepare dinner later.

Yet as he watched the pot bubbling and steaming, he could not shake the feeling that he had forgotten something important.

Allen scratched his head.

“How strange. Why do I feel as though I’ve forgotten something? The sparring went normally, I got to see the legendary spectacle, and Sylphie and Rudeus went off to bathe as usual... Wait... could it be...”

His eyes widened.

“Damn it! I nearly forgot about this plot point! No, this is another butterfly effect caused by the story advancing ahead of schedule! Rudeus still hasn’t realized that Sylphie is a girl! He wouldn’t pull down her pants, would he? What? This kind of sordid, perverted development can’t possibly be right! Besides, Rudeus and Sylphie only met today. That would ruin his impression completely! Yes, yes... Rudeus shouldn’t be that reckless...”

“Ah!”

The instant his thoughts passed over that possibility, Allen heard Sylphie’s startled cry from upstairs. He immediately abandoned the pot still heating on the stove, spun around, and ran upstairs.

Taking three steps at a time, he rushed to the room and flung open the door, peering inside.

Before he could even see what was happening, he suddenly felt a chill below the waist.

Only afterward did Rudeus’s excited shout reach his ears.

“Sylphie, watch carefully. This is how Allen uses it! ...Uh... what...”

Allen looked into the room.

Sylphie’s clothes were neat and intact; she had not yet suffered any misfortune. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Allen, who had burst through the door. A flush immediately crept over her pointed ears. Then she spun around on the spot and pressed herself tightly into the corner, facing the wall.

She even covered her head and clapped her hands over her ears.

Allen swallowed with difficulty and lowered his head.

There, crouched beside the door after successfully ambushing him, Rudeus was staring upward. A rigid shadow obscured his face.

Allen had hurried upstairs in a panic, using Dragon Saint Battle Aura.

At that moment, his entire body was flushed with blood.

Yet he felt as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.

[...]

[The host has been detected intimidating Rudeus.]

[If this continues, there is a risk that Rudeus’s favorability toward you will drop to zero.]

[The host is advised to behave accordingly.]

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