The "Short" Journey Through The Eyes Of A Poor Sword Maiden

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.

-Story Start-

-Third Person POV-

A biting wind swept through the Northern Lands, freezing the air in a small town nestled along the Southern border of the Neris Kingdom.

Amidst the cheers and celebratory sounds, the sizzling of meat merged seamlessly with the lively atmosphere.

Prominently displayed at the edge of the town's festivities were the massive carcasses of Ice Claw Tigers, their precious fur meticulously trimmed by a group of women skillfully combining celebration with their work.

Meanwhile, the majority of the men reveled in the festivity, dancing and cooking the bounty they had recently acquired.

And what was the cause of this sudden acquisition of high-grade meat and pelts?

The cause - Also the center of attention, a white-haired shades-wearing man celebrated enthusiastically, arms draped around the shoulders of two intimidating, drunk companions. He danced like a drunk sailor, skewer in hand, taking bites with enthusiasm, a wide, goofy smile on his face.

Despite his apparent drunken antics, it was evident he was intoxicated not with alcohol but with the atmosphere itself.

"I don't drink, but I'm more fun than all of you combined~!" He proclaimed with a wide, pompous smirk, as he was met with protests from those expecting him to partake in alcoholic beverages.

His "Magic Floating Mead Chugs" had a mesmerizing effect on the crowd as he poured mead from the air onto the enthusiastic and awed onlookers.

Was it a festival?

A holiday?

In reality, the answer was much simpler...

-Scene Change-

At the town's entrance, a weary swordswoman dismounted from her exhausted horse, on the verge of collapse. Securing the horse to a fence, Nina Farion sighed wearily.

Tenderly caressing the horse's face, she managed a bittersweet smile, "Sorry for pushing you so hard..."

Scanning the surroundings, Nina improvised a makeshift bowl by scooping handfuls of snow from the ground. Inspecting it in the torchlight at the gate, she nodded approvingly, "Clean."

Chanting an Elementary Class Fire Magic spell, she heated the snow in the bowl to provide water for her grateful companion.

Satisfied, Nina encouraged, "Good, drink up," as the horse lowered itself to drink."

Shaking her head, Nina gazed towards the brightly lit town.

Even from a distance, the sounds of celebration resonated in her ears.

Surveying the town, she couldn't help but notice the remnants of a battle.

Destroyed fences, uprooted trees, and the barely recognizable corpse of a massive Ice Claw Tiger - Its body crushed gruesomely.

Grimacing, she muttered, "Must have been the Alpha... Rough as always."

Nina moved towards the heart of the celebration, slipping through the unguarded town gate.

Each step on the snowy path echoed the rhythm of her contemplation.

'Two months, we're almost there...' Her inner voice, a symphony of conflicting emotions, painted the picture of her journey with uncertainty.

This was Nina's very first journey beyond the Holy Land Of Swords for such a long period and so far away to boot.

Commendable solo travel, she acknowledged.

Yet, the glaring issue lingered...

'I wasn't supposed to be traveling alone!' Her mind exclaimed, echoing her internal turmoil.

'That damned... Pretentious... Idiot...' Nina gritted her teeth, irritated by the man who continued to both infuriate and charm her.

Uncertain about her feelings, she contemplated on Gojo Satoru.

Her initial impressions of him were far from positive - A peculiar, extremely handsome man who had seen her naked in their first encounter.

Smirking at her enigmatically, making her question her looks.

For no reason! She had only met him!

Talk about first impressions, huh...

At that, she had even resorted to spreading rumors about him as a petty form of revenge.

Then the bewildering occurrences started.

Defeating her father, the Sword God, and ascending to the 6th spot of the Seven Great Powers.

Defeating her in pure Sword God, with those enchanting eyes that pierced through her, giving her the shivers.

And swiftly becoming a Sword Emperor within six months - at the tender age of 16, two years her junior.

Their encounters in the Dojo were a mix of infuriation, degradation, and genuine amusement.

Yet, he was undeniably enticing.

His immaturity, absolute self-confidence backed by strength, and the mystery surrounding him all added to his charm.

It was solidified by the unmistakable presence of a man.

...She knew that from their naked first impressions.

All those culminate in the conclusion that he is, without a shadow of a doubt, A catch.

But was she convinced she loved him?

No, merely a sexual attraction, an emotion shared by most women vexed by the enigmatic Satoru.

That's right - It's only sexual attraction, a passing bestial instinct.

Nevertheless, deep down, she was uncertain and curious.

Then, the news of Satoru's imminent departure hit her like a tidal wave, prompting Nina to contemplate, 'Is that so bad?'

Doubt clouded Nina's expression as her gaze hesitated, revealing the conflict within.

Her goal of rivaling Eris Greyrat had long been forgotten and quickly discarded because of this man's hurricanelike appearance in her and everyone else's life.

Her current goal, despite the uncertainty, became clear:

Unravel the mystery that is Gojo Satoru.

Would the truth of his character diminish the mystique and excitement he caused in her?

Or would it only further enhance her growing yet ambiguous infatuation?

...Additionally, the prospect of being the wife of a legendary figure and bearing his children played into her maidenlike fantasies - In direct contrast to her elegant and fierce swordswoman exterior.

Satoru's abrupt departure, despite openly stating his goal of leaving after mastering the Sword God Style, propelled Nina to reluctantly seek advice from her father for the first time in a long while.

Considering her father's insight, he acknowledged Satoru's avoidance of romantic advances from women.

Something held him back, her father concluded.

"As for you... Nina," her father's intense gaze softened into a smirk, "I'll give you a letter of my own. Enroll in the Magic University and research all Magic fundamentals, phenomena, and especially barriers. Specifically, anything that can help figure out how that brat's mana-less barrier or phenomena works."

While aware that Satoru had no magic, her father was provided a hint about how Satoru's barrier functions - A gesture of gratitude for all the training he had been provided.

"Your Sword Strikes Never Reached Me." He enigmatically stated.

Leave it to Satoru to keep things vague because the actual answer would be too boring.

Or he's just an asshole, Eris would add bluntly.

But, Satoru believed Gal Farion of all people could figure it out.

With Gal's gift and suggestion, the anticipation of self-discovery, adventure, and perhaps romance, Nina bowed in gratitude.

"As for your sword training, pester the brat to spar with you. It's definitely better for him than swinging a sword like he'll be doing... While you're at it, try and work some magic on him there. Just make sure to not take too long." He added the last parts with a chuckle as Nina's face reddened.

And so, armed with her father's blessing, she embarked with Satoru towards Ranoa.

Her initial thoughts, tainted by Satoru's rather rude agreement to her joining him, were already clouded by romantic delusions that might have held some truth.

'In the cold nights, under the moonlit sky where the only thing to keep us warm was the campfire and our combined embrace...' She fantasized as they departed together.

In reality, the situation was far from the romantic scenario Nina had envisioned.

Despite her riding on a horse alongside Satoru, after a few hours, he decided to outrun her and the horse, laughing at their efforts. She ground her teeth in frustration, pushing the poor horse and herself to catch up with him, with no success as she easily lost sight of him.

Day and Night, she slept in the cold, with only her horse to keep her company and no Satoru to keep her warm.

Her realization struck like a cold wind – How deluded she must have been!

But, at least, he left her some clues.

One time, she arrived at a recently abandoned makeshift campsite and noticed a small note on a rock.

A drawing of Satoru's face, smiling and the shades are also detailed and drawn in, making a peace sign with his hand.

A large and bold writing - "Gojo Satoru Was Here! I'm heading to Lynka Town! I heard they've got good parfaits!"

Luckily for Nina, she had endeavored to become literate in the three months prior to this journey on a whim.

Else she'd have had trouble finding Satoru right now.

Other more morally questionable clues include and are not limited to:

(1) Crushed Monster corpses with their limbs twisted to point in a direction.

(2) Other people who came across Satoru whom he had told them where he was heading.

(3) Penis drawings that also point in a specific direction... How mature!

(4) If he was feeling generous, he would draw an arrow with instructions.

How Nina still finds Satoru charming with those immature antics is a mystery of its own.

Perhaps she found it fun?

Of course, there were times she actually caught up to Satoru for a short meeting before he sped out of her sight once again.

How had she caught up to him? You may ask?

Here's the first occurrence:

He was building a small treehouse with a dwarf a few minutes away from the nearest town.

"Bah, Gojo that nail goes there." The older dwarf craftsman grumbled.

"You sure? Yo! Nina! Wanna help out?" Satoru narrowed his eyes in full concentration, only to wave his hand that held a hammer at the deadpanning Nina who stood below the tree.

"Positive." Responded the dwarf as he hammered away, also sitting on a branch.

Nina responded with a question, "Aren't you headed to Ranoa? Why are you wasting your time?"

He chuckled internally, thinking, 'A bit hypocritical from a girl wasting her time chasing me~'

Gaining an offended look, Satoru gasped, "H-How dare you! To call Bjorn's lifework a waste of time?! Have you no shame!" He accused, pointing a finger at her in bewilderment.

The dwarf, now named Bjorn sniffed, "It's fine lad. Swordsmen from the Holy Land Of Swords have lost any respect for craftsmen, I'm used to it." He shook his head sadly.

Nina stuttered an apology quickly for offending the dwarf and surprisingly decided to stay and help.

Thus, they stayed together for three days to help Bjorn build his treehouse.

And even in the opportunity-filled freezing nights, Nina's fantasy, unfortunately, didn't come to fruition...

"No. Sleep on your own," Satoru bluntly waved her off, reclining on his makeshift bed.

"Aren't you cold?" she inquired, both concern and poorly veiled disappointment evident in her voice.

"Nah, I'm good. I can even sleep in a freezing cold river if I want to," he stated with a smirk.

Naturally, Satoru had to brag a bit.

Also, Nina knew Satoru was basically immune to the cold via his odd abilities - But her excitement and fantasy easily hid that nugget of knowledge.

Therefore, Nina's "Assertive" approach died a pathetic death.

And once they were done, he'd dash out of her sight, as her horse didn't have the capacity to keep up.

Unlike Satoru, she hadn't the privilege of wasting her strength and stamina in dashing from one place to another - She had to conserve strength for the odd monster or rare case of a dangerous one.

Although all the dangerous ones in her path were corpses by the time she got there, courtesy of Satoru.

Thus, the oddest duo's journey continued for a grueling two months.

Nina follows Satoru using the clues he leaves behind.

Satoru eventually stops for the odd distraction.

Nina catches up to him, they meet, nothing romantic in particular happens much to Nina's dismay.

Nor did Satoru seem particularly open for any deep conversations when she did try to open him up.

Not even after that time that he slaughtered a whole party of slave traders, leaving her to take care of the children for a week until she found a safe town for them.

...But he truly never strayed too far away from them, as the only monster encounters they had were corpses.

That gesture warmed Nina's heart.

Thus, Nina finds herself in a town amid a jubilant celebration - She can already deduce the cause.

Nor did she need to as a toast seemed to echo from the large crowd in front of her.

A large bulking man lifted Satoru's arm in the air, "A TOAST! TO THE ANOMALY OF THE GREAT POWERS! A TOAST TO OUR HERO! TO THE ONE WHO KILLED THE NASTY TIGERS AND GRANTED US THIS GREAT BOUNTY! GOJO SATORU!" He lifted his jug in the air.

"CHEERS!" The crowd roared.

"YAY~!" Satoru roared with equal fervor.

Nina approached, ignoring the celebrations and fervor as she scanned the multiple large carcasses, "Forty of them..." She mumbled.

'That is enough food for half a year for a town of this size... No wonder they're so happy.' She noted impressed as she approached.

'I'd have trouble with that many Tigers... But for so many to gather here? They must have been running from that young Snow Dragon Gojo had killed.' Nina surmised, shaking her head as she headed towards her target.

Eventually, squeezing through the crowd, she passed through the crowded circle and was met with the giddy Satoru.

He noticed her right away, waving at her with his free hand, "Nina! Fancy seeing you here! Did you miss me~?"

In his hand, he held a bowl with a Mead Spiced Cake, ready to savor it for dessert.

Nina tilted her head with a small smirk, "Security's pretty lax in this town, for them to just let me pass by like this without care."

Satoru gave her his signature smirk, his haughtiness on full display, "Is there any better security than me~?"

Nina deadpanned internally, 'He really makes it hard to believe.'

She observed him, noting how he took a mouthful of cake without breaking eye contact with her through his shades.

Sighing, she changed the subject, "Gojo, we're practically three days away from Sharia. Let's not take any detours after this town." She asserted.

Munching on his cake, he gulped, pointing a finger at her, "Correction. You're three days away~!" He grinned at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, glaring.

Then suddenly, "NEW GIRL?! WELCOME! NOW, DRINK UP!" The same gruff voice yelled out, spooking Nina and causing her to jump in her place for a moment.

Also catching the jug of Mead that was dropped in her hands.

...It appears this town's people haven't heard the saying - "Stranger Danger".

"T-They're certainly rowdy..." Nina commented as she glared at the contents of the jug in her hand.

Satoru's laughter echoed, "Tell me about it! The town's chief is a character!" He pointed at the gruff man who had been making the celebratory calls all night.

"You're a character," Nina couldn't help but retort with a small smirk.

Thus, the celebration persisted even after the sun had dawned, and Nina found herself thoroughly intoxicated.

Her face was crimson as she complained, "You... hic ...don't get it! I-I tried... hic ...to, but he just ignored me! Even when... hic... I chased away all those... hic... Shameless hyenas!"

The Winter Turkey in the town's barn tilted its head at the strange human that had tried to converse with it.

As always... Poor Nina.

To Be Continued!

-Author Note Start-

Heyo people!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Did you like it?

I put a greater amount of effort into this chapter - So I hope it reflects properly!

Satoru's emotions and this two-month-long journey will be mentioned and reflected later on - Which is the reason it was skimmed through.

So don't worry about it! There is only 1 critical event that happened in this journey overall.

But... Nina sure is persistent and determined!

2 months of following Gojo and his antics.

Kinda impressive not gonna lie.

Bro was taking his time doing side quests.

"AS HE SHOULD!" - Some of you might say.

I agree.

Also don't worry, The World Of Mushoku Tensei is gigantic.

If you are hoping for a prolonged journey at some point - Don't worry, it'll happen.

Also, we should be getting to Ranoa next chapter.

The key word is should - Because we'll be having an interlude.

Spoiler - An interlude of both Nanahoshi and Rudeus 

Anyways! Most importantly! Did I portray Teen Gojo well in this chapter? I'd appreciate feedback on this on each chapter! As this is the most critical part of the fic! Woohoo! Feedback! Yes! 

Have a nice day!

-Author Note End-