Leon Greyrat: The Second Son – Mushoku Tensei OC

Chapter 118 – The Final Member

— Eris Greyrat —

The sound of snow crunching beneath Leon’s feet echoed through the forest as he continued to lead us through the woods, making his way towards the nearest village where Ruijerd was hopefully staying.

“Now, Orsted said that the remaining Superd should be here at this time, but considering the Displacement Incident and Ruijerd coming this way, we should be prepared for things to have changed,” he said, swiping his hand to blow away a fallen tree that was in our path. “Let’s just hope he’s still here, right Eri?”

“U-Uh, yeah… sure,” I said, averting my eyes.

Dammit, what the hell?

Why was I acting so self-conscious?

I couldn’t even look him in the eyes right now!

If it was the me from before we were together, I could understand, but we were married! 

I had the necklace on my neck, and the little brat at home to prove it!

”Eri?” he said, turning back to look at me. “Everything okay?”

His hand reached out to cup my cheek, lifting my head so that my eyes met his.

Those damn big, warm, beautiful brown eyes… weren’t a man’s eyes supposed to be sharper and firmer?

But then again, they did go like that whenever he acted serious, which always made me get riled up…

Shaking my head, I batted his hand away as I began to fiddle with my now chest-length hair, twirling a few strands around my fingers as I huffed in annoyance.

Fuck. And now I was even doing that habit of Roxy and Aria’s.

Was I a little kid or something?

“Hm?” he hummed, his face twisting into an annoyingly wide grin that was filled with mirth. “Eri… you’re acting awfully cute right now.”

C-Cute!?

“W-What do you mean by that, bastard?” I shouted at him. “Are you saying I’m not cute all the time?”

“No, I’m just surprised to see you acting so meek, especially when you were so… active… last night,” he said, tilting his head in confusion. “So? What’s troubling you? I think we’ve been through more than enough for you to know that you can trust me with anything.”

Grr!

This fucking guy… with his annoyingly good words and overwhelming love…

And that had only gotten worse since he started helping Ariel with politics and growing our family.

But… dammit.

I guess… it wasn’t good to run away like this, right?

I should be truthful, and he was right that he had my trust… it was just so stupid that I didn’t want to say it.

“It’s just… it’s different, being alone with you after so long,” I said, averting my gaze as I began to explain. “Even when we were traveling after the teleportation… we still had Norn and Aisha, so… we’ve never actually been alone, right?”

“I see… yeah, I get it,” he said, nodding his head. “First off, you are being incredibly adorable right now.”

This guy!

Stop… stop doing that.

“And second… well, I’m sorry for being so busy,” he said, releasing a sigh as he tousled his hair. “I love spending time with everyone when I can, so I often forget that time with each of you alone is equally as important… so, I’m sorry, Eri.”

“I-It’s fine… you’re making it up to me now, and it’s not like I hate the family time either,” I said.

Although… did he really have to have three other women?

I had accepted it, and I still do, but with Mother and I having more talks together after Julian’s training, I can’t help but feel a bit jealous of their relationship.

And especially that damn princess… or rather, the queen now.

Not only did she take up so much time with her ruling and politics, but she was also incredibly beautiful in a soft, motherly way, just like those other two.

And then there was her libido… no, actually, Sylphy and Roxy were constantly horny as well, just as I was.

Well… I guess they were all Greyrats now, so it fit the family trait… but it was still annoying.

“Hmm… yeah, but I should still be doing better,” he said, frowning a bit.

“This Laplace stuff is getting in the way, right? Just make it up to me after that,” I said, walking up next to him.

“Right… yeah, I’ll do that,” he agreed. “And then after I deal with the Man-God, I’ll be even more free, and then once the kids grow old enough to leave the house… well, we’ll have a lot of free time, right?”

His hand then reached down to squeeze my rear, making his intentions very clear.

I felt the familiar itching heat rise through my loins as my breath began to quicken, but before I could do anything, Leon turned around and began walking again, leaving me in an annoyingly flustered state.

Tsk. Damn tease, getting me all excited for nothing… even though we had done it the night before, I still had needs.

Especially with that new technique that Lilia advised me on… it really got Leon going.

“So, how do you think Ars is doing?” Leon said as we continued walking. “He can run pretty well now, so I hope he’s not causing the other three too much trouble.”

Right… Ars was around two and a half now.

I wasn’t really sure how children were supposed to grow, since I really only saw the later years of Aria and Anna as they grew older, but it was fun to watch nonetheless.

While it was around that age that Leon began practicing magic and swordsmanship, I wasn’t dumb enough to think that our kid would be the same as his father.

No, rather, Ars was much more… well, childish.

Not that it was a bad thing.

“Climbing has been his thing recently,” I said, smirking at the memory. “The little brat likes to get on anything he can, even if he ends up falling and hurting himself.”

Although, that just made him stronger.

As expected of my son.

“Really? He doesn’t do that too much around me,” Leon said.

“That’s because you two always play hide-and-seek, tag, or one of your other weird games,” I added. “I guess he gets bored when you’re not around… or he just likes to give me a headache.”

And with the damn smirk that brat loved to wear… it was almost certainly to be the latter.

“I see… well, at least he’s easy to please, unlike a certain pair of girls…” Leon said with a pout.

Ah, yes… those two.

As expected of a loving parent like Leon, and one that easily folded to their cute faces and leaves the scolding to his wives, the kids absolutely adored him… for the most part.

Anna, as it turned out, was a difficult child, that simply loved to annoy her father by not giving him a hint of affection, often leaving him wallowing in sadness.

Even though I shouldn’t, I found it quite funny to watch, not to mention how it gave me the chance to cheer him up in bed afterwards.

Though… sometimes that barrier falls where she’ll snuggle up to him at night or eagerly watch his sword practice with an amazed smile.

Even if she didn’t show it, she loved her father just as much as Aria did. I knew that from the tantrums she would throw whenever Leon was gone for longer than a couple of days.

And recently, someone else had joined that girl as part of the troublesome duo… one certain heir to the Asuran throne.

As it turned out, as Emilia had begun learning how to talk, she had found her favourite word.

That being the word ‘no’.

Did she like her food?

‘No!’

Did she want to play?

‘No.’

Did she want candy?

‘Umm… uhh… n-no!’

That was how it went with that girl, who simply loved to say no, even if it contradicted her true feelings.

While it was often quite annoying, we eventually started to learn when Emilia was serious about her refusals.

But yeah, those two were the difficult ones, but I loved them all the same.

After all, they were quite fun to watch.

“Well, either way, he’s at that age where he can start learning magic soon,” Leon said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Anna and Aria have already started, and I bet he doesn’t want to get left behind by his older sisters.”

“Heh. Yeah…” I muttered, turning my head down to watch the snow-covered ground pass beneath my feet.

Getting left behind… that was quite the bad feeling.

I had felt that before, when I first met Leon, before I realized that he would always be by my side. And then once again, when I came back to him already having taken two wives.

I had agreed to it, of course, but they still got an unfair head start.

Of course, I had overcome that anxiety, especially after having the first boy of the family in Ars, but seeing how those two, and now Ariel, and how they acted as they grew older… I could feel that feeling of inadequacy creeping back bit by bit.

“Hey, Eri,” Leon said, interrupting my thoughts as he suddenly pulled me into a kiss.

I was surprised, but I soon relaxed into his hold as he supported my lower back with one hand, and my head with the other, gently massaging my scalp just the way I liked it as our tongues danced with each other.

Haa… I was getting horny again, dammit.

But once again, the damn tease stopped before I could push him down, gently running his fingers across my cheek as his eyes looked deep into mine.

“Thank you for being such a great mother, Eri. Both to Ars and our daughters,” he said, his face serious before his lips spread into a soft smile. 

“W-Well… I just… love them too, you know… so it’s natural,” I said, averting my eyes once again in embarrassment, like some kind of virgin maiden in love. “But still… am I really doing such a good job?”

And there was that damn feeling of worry again, creeping into my mind like some kind of disease.

“I’m still harsher, aren’t I? Ariel, Sylphy, Roxy… they aren’t that harsh. Even Sara isn’t from what I’ve seen,” I said, venting my frustrations before I looked up again. “So… can I really call myself a great mother when all I’m good for is scolding?”

His surprise face shifted into a soft smile.

“Eri… while your scolding is good, you’re much more than that. I’ve told you before, right? You’re one of the kindest girls I know when it comes to family, and I know that the kids know that as well,” he said, tilting my chin up. “Besides, while your praise might be rarer than mine, and your soft and vulnerable moments scarcer than the other three, when you eventually show those sides… it’s so much more impactful.”

He sealed his words with another kiss, this one much gentler than beforehand, leaving me feeling floaty instead of excited, yet overjoyed all the same.

This… damn guy… making me like this all the time, even now… it really was like I had regressed back to when we were getting back home from the teleportation disaster.

“So, take pride in how you parent in your own way. Mama needed to balance her harshness with her natural soft side when she was parenting us, but you don’t have to do that,” he said. “You can rely on the other three to be that soft side, and just be yourself, okay?”

“O-Okay…” I said, my mind slowly catching up from the daze his words had put me in.

“Good. Besides, I’m always here if you guys need me,” he added.

Hmph.

Always here my ass.

“Yeah, if you’re home,” I mumbled.

His hand reached down to pinch my butt in response, causing my thighs to clench once again.

…Fuck it.

I was aroused now, and I wasn’t going to let the moment pass by like before… especially when he was acting like this.

Grabbing him by the collar, I put my leg behind his knees to ruin his balance as I then pushed him down, straddling him as soon as he hit the ground so that he didn’t escape.

“So… you think I’m a good mother, huh?” I said, rotating my hips. 

Ah, and there he was, pushing against his pants and into mine.

I guess Leon was excited too, huh?

I liked that.

“Of course…” he said.

“Then… why don’t you make me one once again,” I said with a smile.

Especially since Roxy had Roana as her second already.

I wasn’t going to be last among the three of us again.

“Uh… okay, but, should we really be doing this in the middle of the forest? Aren’t you cold?” he said.

“Then just make sure to warm me up,” I said as I reached down to his belt. “And who cares about where we are? It’s not our first time doing it outside, right?”

“Yeah, but… it’s the first time in a while,” he said as I pulled his pants down. “But we’re getting close to the village now. What if someone sees?”

“Then let them watch,” I said, reaching down to give him a kiss.

As for what happened next… well, that was quite obvious.

— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —

“S-Stop right there!”

I did as the voice asked, watching as the green-haired man stood his ground in front of the village gate, his hands trembling as he kept his spear raised at the two of us.

Well… at least we were at the right place.

“W-Why are you two here?” the Superd warrior said, swallowing down his nervousness.

Or, at least, he was trying to.

But this guy… he must be quite skilled to be so scared of us.

After all, he was right to be.

A Sword Emperor and the seventh world power was a duo that no settlement would want coming unannounced to their front gate.

”Relax, we aren’t here to cause trouble,” I said, raising my hands as a gesture of sincerity.

“T-Then… what are you here for?” he asked, lowering his spear a bit. “This isn’t a place where humans go.”

“Well… we’re here to see a friend, is all,” I said.

“A… friend?” he replied, confused.

Haa, this was going to be annoying.

“Yeah, a friend. We traveled together not so long ago and I believe he’s in this village,” I began to explain. “And his name is-“

“Ruijerd Superdia.”

A smile blossomed onto my face as I heard the voice of the exact man I was looking for.

This must have been something like fate, right.

Or, more likely, his third eye had picked up on either our familiar presences, or our strength.

“Ruijerd!” Eris said with a smile as she walked up to my side.

“Eris… I see that you’ve grown up since I last saw you,” Ruijerd said, nodding approvingly. “Still, as great as it is to see you, I must ask if there is a reason for visiting so far from home. I doubt it could be something simple.”

Look at this guy, picking up on stuff like that.

Well, I guess he was a leader of the Superds before, so maybe he had fallen back into that role.

“Yeah… it’s about that,” I said, looking at him seriously.

It took a moment for him to understand, but as soon as he did, a glimmer of excitement flashed across his eyes before he closed them and nodded.

“I see… that is surely important,” he said, turning around. “Well then, let us talk inside first.”

“Of course,” I agreed.

As Eris and I began to follow after Ruijerd, the guard walked over to us with confusion.

“Ruijerd! They… should we let them in like this?” he asked. “They’re strong… and humans as well.”

“They are with me, and they are most trustworthy,” Ruijerd said with a nod. “Besides, haven’t I told you to be kinder to outsiders? Our tribe will never recover our reputation otherwise.”

“Uh… right… sorry, Ruijerd,” the guard said.

“Do not worry. Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

As Ruijerd began walking again, Eris and I shared a look as we followed after him, a mix of surprise and admiration in our expressions.

Ruijerd… he had really grown, huh?

— Leon Anemoi Asura —

“I had gotten word of Asura’s new queen and king… to think that would be you and another wife… though, I suppose it’s to be expected,” Ruijerd said with a smile.

Please don’t say that. It makes me sound like a bad husband.

“That aside, Eris… you seem much different now,” Ruijerd said, turning to my wife who had planted herself on my lap.

“Really? Well… I am a mother now…” she said, seemingly embarrassed.

“I see… that certainly explains it,” Ruijerd nodded in understanding. “But alongside the ones I saw when I visited… how many children is that now, Leon?”

“Five. Aria, Anna, Ars, Emilia, and the youngest, Roana,” I said with a wide smile. “I really have been quite blessed.”

And each one of them were absolutely adorable, but considering who their mothers were, it was only natural.

“Five… you’ve been quite busy then,” Ruijerd said with a knowing smile. “I cannot wait to meet them.”

“Well… they’ve already heard some stories about you, so you won’t be a complete stranger,” I said, averting my eyes.

‘Busy’, huh?

That was certainly one way to word it.

“Hmph. And that’s not all, Leon even defeated the North God and the Water God!” Eris added, puffing her chest.

Ruijerd’s eyes widened.

“I see… The North God… so are you now the seventh world power, Leon?” he asked.

“Yeah… something like that,” I said with a shrug. “More importantly, with that, I was able to gain Perugius’ blessing and aid for my plan, and even got the North God to pledge his sword to our cause.”

Ruijerd’s body tensed.

“You mean…”

“Yes,” I interrupted him. “The time to finally put an end to Laplace… is near.”

I saw as his touki unintentionally flared, an intense pressure radiating from the man with an emotion that could only be described as ‘excited’.

But an instant later, that crazed, excited grin cooled as Ruijerd reached over to pat my shoulder.

“Hah. To think this is how things would end up when I first met you… while your power was incredible for a human child, it was far from a strength that would reach Laplace. But now… I can’t help but think that things will work out with you there, Leon,” he said seriously as he bowed his head. “So… thank you. For allowing me to exact my revenge, and for helping with the Superd’s reputation… I thank you.”

My lips twisted into an apologetic frown at his words.

“Don’t say that… I’m actually quite selfish, you know?” I said. “I’m simply defeating Laplace for my family’s safety, and as for your tribe’s reputation… well, while Norn has thought about starting a book, I have done nothing… so there’s no need for thanks. It actually makes me feel bad.”

In fact, I had basically forgotten about Ruijerd’s issues as soon as I started my family.

I… felt a bit guilty about that.

“No, Leon. You did help,” Ruijerd said, raising his head to meet my eyes. “It was you that made me realize that in order to make the right choices, I needed to understand others, and not act so rash. Because of that, I have finally started venturing the road to my tribe’s redemption, and bringing them along with me.”

Well… while that was true, that was all his work, so I couldn’t exactly take any of that as my own accomplishment.

“And as for Laplace… more than revenge, this is an opportunity,” Ruijerd said, standing up as he grabbed his spear. “As I’ve learned during my travels here, stories of grandeur and great achievements travel fast and far. So what better way to spread the word of the reformed Superd tribe than to become a member of the party that finally slays the Demon God?”

…Yeah, Ruijerd had definitely changed.

And he was right in that it was a great way to change their reputation.

“Well, it’s not like my guilt changes anything anyways,” I said, shaking my head as I stood up. “Welcome to the team, Ruijerd.”

“It is my pleasure,” he said as we shook hands.

I then felt something tug at my coat, and looking back, I saw Eris looking at the two of us with a glimmer in her eyes.

Ah… she wanted to join in, did she?

Luckily, Ruijerd seemed to have picked up on the signals as well.

“Eris… you’ve grown strong, I can tell,” he said, looking over to her. “I hope that we can become comrades once again.”

“Hmph! Of course! I’m not letting Leon fight alone, after all!” she said with a proud smile.

Right… I promised to let her fight Laplace with me, didn’t I?

But to be honest… I was having second thoughts.

After all, after sparring the North God, I could tell that Eris would not have survived more than a few clashes if he was serious, and I doubt that she would be able to make him use his regeneration, especially if he used his gravity sword.

Then again, if we fought together, I was sure that we could beat him easily without her getting a scratch.

But Orsted… he said that the difference between Aleksander and Laplace was incomparable.

So… should I really keep my promise?

I didn’t know…

“Now, while I said I can join you… would it need to be immediately?” Ruijerd asked.

“Uh… no, it doesn’t have to be. Why?” I asked.

Ruijerd then looked out his window, which was simply a hole in the wall, absent of glass.

“This village… the people are strong, but it’s still my duty to ensure they are well,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “More specifically, I need to make sure that they learn what I have learned, so that they can continue walking the path I have set for us, even if the worst happens to me…”

Ah… well, that was a morbid thought, but a responsible one.

I had no plans of dying to Laplace either, but I did ensure that Perugius and Orsted would protect my family if such a thing happened, both against the Man-God, and against the enemies Ariel would spawn due to her position as queen.

“Then… how about in half a year… on the fifth month of next year,” I said after some thought. “I’ll ask Perugius to send one of his summons to lead you to the floating fortress, and from there, our group will head towards where Laplace was sealed.”

That way, I’ll at least be able to see Norn graduate and Aria have her first birthday before I left.

“Six months… yes, that is more than enough time,” Ruijerd said, nodding his head. “Then… I will see you at that time, Leon.”

“Same to you…” I returned.

And so, with the final member of the Laplace extermination group in place… the plan was set.