Mushoku Tensei - A Second Chance

"Rudeus, I'm sure you know why we've asked you to come here", Georg said politely.

"Yes. I do."

"We are just trying to figure out what happened. The flooding seems to have originated from the training hall that we had reserved for your experimentations."

"Yes, that is true. I take full responsibility for this incident. Although it was an accident, I admit that I am entirely at fault."

"Good. It's very admirable to admit one's faults. Could you please explain to us what happened in detail? The other students and their parents are sure to demand an explanation, among other things."

"As I had told Jenius when I requested the training hall, I have been experimenting on developing new forms of magic. Today I was working on a water spell which I thought would produce a small amount of water. The spell went haywire and ended up filling the training hall with a massive amount of water which then spilled out and flooded the campus. In the end, there isn't much to say about what happened other than that. It was an accident."

"I see."

George seemed to stare off into space as he pondered his next words carefully.

"I think it might be best if you were to spend some time away from campus grounds. We need to ensure that all students of our prestigious Academy know that their safety is our top priority."

"Of course. I can understand their sentiments. I feel horrible that some students have been injured due to my magical experiments."

"Mishaps are part of the learning process, so I understand your position entirely. Please, take some time off your research and relax at home."

"Of course. In regards to any damages to the campus grounds-"

"We will have to discuss such matters at a later date", Georg said, cutting me off. "Right now we don't have enough information. We need to determine the extent of the damage and discuss the matters with the Magic Guilds of the Triumvirate before deciding on how to proceed."

"I assure you that we will express to the Guilds the fact that this was simply an accident", Jenius added. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened in the name of progress. The researchers at the Guilds are likely to understand. I'm sure we can smooth things over, seeing that nobody suffered any life threatening injuries and taking into account all your contributions to the Magician's Guild thus far."

"Thank you", I answered as I gave a short bow. "I will make my leave for now then. Please reach out to me later."

With that I left Georg's office and made my way back to the entrance gates. After leaving the campus, someone unexpected was waiting for me just outside.

"Jeez Rudy, I leave alone for one day and you flood the entire Campus!"

Sylphiette was leaning against the stone wall surrounding the campus grounds just outside the gate. The way she said that might indicate she was upset with me, but her small smirk said otherwise.

"Sorry for ruining your party. I don't know why I picked today of all days to do something so stupid."

"Haha, that's alright. You didn't ruin anything. I already got to chat with all my close friends and they gave me their gifts. It was starting to get really awkward for me though. People who I didn't even know the names of were lining up to wish me a happy birthday and give me a present. The commotion you caused gave me the perfect excuse to step away."

"Well, that's nice, I guess..."

"Seriously though, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with all those gifts."

"Did you leave your gifts at the party?"

"Seren said she'd accept the rest of them on my behalf when I wanted to leave. She and Ariel are going to bring my gifts to the house tomorrow."

"Well, what do you want to do now?", I asked. "My schedule has recently opened up for the foreseeable future."

"Hmm... that depends. What time are they expecting us for the party back home?"

"Lilia is going to let me know when they're ready. I'm supposed to keep you busy until then."

As I said this, I pulled out a small lithograph stone from my pocket, showing it to Sylphy. Lilia was going to send me a message on the Lithograph stone when they were ready.

"We've probably got about three or four hours."

"Well in that case... There's a new play that's supposed to debut today at the theater on the west side of town."

"That sounds like fun. Would you like to go?"

"I'd love to", Sylphy said happily.

The theater was on the west side of the commercial district. Some people called this the 'Entertainment district' because of all the attractions in the area. There were street performers showing off their talents combining magic with sleight of hand. Additionally, as it was an extension of the commercial district, there were plenty of restaurants and street vendors.

As we continued along the stone path, Sylphy held my arm near the elbow and leaned her head against my shoulder. It was becoming increasingly clear that she intended for this to be our first official 'date'.

All the streets around here were bustling with activity, but a huge crowd was gathered around the theater. The theater was hidden from view as it was enclosed by a large tent that was encircled with wooden fencing and had several entrances with employees selling tickets for entry. Fairly long lines stretched out from each of the entrances.

Before getting into line for the theater, I decided to buy us something to snack on while we wait. I bought each of us a pastry that reminded me of Taiyaki. It was essentially a buttery, flaky breading with a filling of a sweet meat sauce. It tasted similar to barbecue only with a slight nutty aftertaste to it.

Some flowers caught my eye at an adjacent stall. They reminded me of a type of flower that grew commonly in Buena village; only these were white and blue rather than the pink and yellow ones we had back then. I bought a small bracelet from the vendor consisting of several of the flowers interlaced together.

I met Sylphy who was waiting at the end of the line and handed her a pastry along with the flower bracelet.

"Oh, my. These are beautiful."

"They reminded me of the flowers that used to grow back at our old home in Buena Village."

"You're right! They look just like them. Thank's Rudy!"

The two of us nibbled on our treats as we waited in line. Although the line was quite long, it thankfully was moving pretty fast. When it came our turn to pay, a lean man wearing purple robes matching the theme of the theater greeted us.

"That'll be two large copper coins", he said to me as he reached out his hand.

I handed him four to pay for the both of us. He looked down at the coins I handed him and then looked back up at Sylphy standing right beside me.

"Ah, I hate to tell you this, sir, but we've only got one more seat available."

The response somewhat flustered me.

"What do you mean? The other lines are still letting people in", I said while pointing towards one of the other entrances.

"I understand your frustration sir, but we only allow thirty people through at each entrance. We can't let everyone through at once or it would be too crowded to enjoy the show. I hope you can understand."

I wanted to shout at the man, but he was just doing his job.

"It's fine Rudy, we can just wait for the next showing."

She says that, but I'm not sure we will have time before her party in that case.

"Can't you make an exception just this once?", I pleaded to the man. "It's her fifteenth birthday today."

The man looked at me in pity.

"I really wish I could. You see this gate is a magic implement. It counts how many people have entered through it. If I let you both through, my boss will let me have it."

"Let them take my place", a man with black hair on the other side of the gate cut in.

"Huh? Are you sure?", the worker asked.

"Yeah, I don't mind. This play will run for weeks. I can always come back another day."

The man came back out through the gate and the worker ushered Sylphy and I inside.

"Thank you so much!", I told the man with a bow.

"Not a problem, Rudeus. Enjoy the show you two."

I looked at him curiously. He had rather distinguished features. I was pretty confident I've never seen him before. Using my Magic Power Eye, I noticed that he was surrounded by a layer of mana, but it wasn't battle aura. It was a second layer of mana completely separate from the ambient mana he radiated.

Before I could say anything back to him an opaque barrier closed off the gate and blocked our view. Evidently the last person has entered from each of the entrance gates. As soon as the barrier appeared everything became much quieter. The sound of bustling activity from the commercial district outside the theater faded away. A loud voice echoed from inside the tent.

"Welcome, esteemed guests! The play will begin in ten minutes. Everyone please find a place to sit."